


Defying Fate

by DiamondbackMako16



Series: Destiny over Fate [1]
Category: Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil (2018)
Genre: Adventure, Christian Mythology, Dark Magic, Demonology, Demons, F/M, Magic, Occult, Pagan, Sartael in disguise, Slow Burn, Supernatural Elements, Usue is twenty years old, Wicca, Witchcraft, adult Usue, bear with me, black magic, gaining independence, human-demon pairing, mentions of other deities, please give it a chance, world mythology - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2019-10-29 11:17:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 46,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17807009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiamondbackMako16/pseuds/DiamondbackMako16
Summary: "Things are as they are and they can't be changed. One's fate is written."That's what Sartael told her.It was the hope crushing ideology that seemed to be shared by many, but none more so than the people in her village.After her brush with death and her close call with Hell, Usue has gained some unwanted attention from the residents of her village. The demon's fib of her being a saint was taken to heart and that led to a bit too much affection from her guardians.To make matters worse, they took the demon's claim as the truth, and now have it in their head that Usue is destined to join the church and fully serve their Lord.Someday, she'll go down in history as the Saint that literally went through Hell and back...At least she will be, so long as she quits acting so indifferent and defiant against her 'destiny'.Luckily, that should be an easy fix, right?And hey, it's not like she's sneaking out in the middle of the night to practice low level magic in the woods and catch up on her demonology studies...right?And the possibility of her running off in the middle of the night with a stranger? Well that's just crazy talk...





	1. Twelve Years Later

**Author's Note:**

> This fic takes place twelve years after the films events, making Usue twenty years old at the moment. 
> 
> I don't believe we were ever informed the name of Usue's village was, other than it was located in the province of Álava, Spain. As such, I just took a wild guess and based the location as Izarra, which is an actual town/village in Spain.

_**Izarra, Alava, Spain** _

_**1855** _

_**Knock knock knock…** _

Pause.

Silence.

_**Knock knock knock…** _

A low groan sounded out…

_**Bang bang bang!** _

The slumbering girl jolted awake as the annoying taps turned into angry bangs against her hardwood door. 

"Usue? Usue wake  _up_!" 

The glare Usue sent towards the voice did no good as the speaker  _obviously_  couldn't see her. None the less, it felt good to do so. 

 _"Usue!"_  

"Yes, yes I'm up!" the young woman snapped as she lazily clambered out of bed and sauntered towards the entrance, rubbing her eyes as she did so. She opened the door with a yawn, feeling no shame at the high sound that came with it. She even went as far as to smack her lips couple of times and stare through half lidded eyes at the occupant that was standing at the threshold of her room.

Blanca, the woman who had raised Usue since infanthood, placed her hands on her hips as she sent an incredulous look towards her charge.

“Really now?” she scolded.

“What?” Usue furrowed her brow, feigning confusion.

She knew exactly ‘what’.

She knew it, and Blanca _knew_ she knew it.

The elder woman narrowed her eyes, “Don’t you play games with _me_ young lady! You know _exactly_ why I’m upset about!”

Usue’s eyes widened as a sudden realization came over her and she cringed, “Oh no! Did I miss mass _again_?” her face fell into one of exaggerated disappointment, and she tsked “You should have woken me up _sooner_!”

This earned her a full-on glare, “I tried. _Several times_ , but the door was locked.” She paused and her faced hardened as she realized something. “ _Why_ was your door locked?”

“Why?” Usue repeated in mock confusion.

“Yes, _why?”_ A brief pause before, “You don’t have someone in there with you, _do you_?!” Blanca arched her head to peer over the younger woman’s shoulder, searching for any sign of an unauthorized second occupant. Not that Usue came off as the type to do such a thing, but still…it didn’t hurt to be on guard against that sort of behavior, _especially_ when it came to Usue.

She knew full well why she couldn’t indulge in that sort of ‘pleasure’, and it wasn’t just because doing so out of wedlock was a ‘sin’.

The younger woman however merely rolled her eyes and stepped aside, allowing her guardian to step into the room for a better look.

“Go ahead and look around, _no one_ is in here. The only one that comes in here, besides me, is _you_.” Usue crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame as she watched Blanca move about the room. She held back a scoff when the woman went as far as to check under the bed and even opened the wardrobe in her search for a man that had never even been there.

“I told you,” Usue started as Blanca turned back to her, “No one is in here, _and if there were_ , someone would have seen him run off this morning.”

Blanca huffed at the girl’s smug tone and tugged her shawl tighter around her shoulders, “Pardon me for thinking otherwise what with your attitude and all. And you _still_ haven’t answered me in why your door was even locked in the first place!” She accused.

Usue shrugged, “I wanted some privacy and a good night’s sleep.”

“ _So, you locked the door_?”

“I was so tired from yesterday’s chores that I didn’t want to be disturbed this morning.”

This made Blanca bristle, “And _that’s_ your excuse for missing Mass?”

Usue gave another shrug.

Blanca’s jaw clenched momentarily before hissing out, “Keep up with that insolence, and you’ll _never_ earn your spot among the other Saints.”

“So everyone keeps saying…” Usue grumbled.

“Then start listening!” Blanca snapped as she turned to leave, “Hurry up and get dressed so you can get started with your chores!” she ordered as she started down the hall, done with the confrontation.

Usue glared after her before shutting the door once more. She turned and trudged back to her bed, giving a frustrated groan as she face planted onto the mattress where she laid for an extra moment or two.

She had been up most of the night and had only managed to sneak back into her room just as the first rays of sunlight lit up the monastery. After a few hours of sleep, she _had_ heard the knocks on the door, but she consciously chose to ignore them, opting for a few more hours of sleep, telling herself that she would deal with the consequences later.

Now it was ‘later’, and Usue could only imagine what sort of punishment Blanca would give out as well as the earful Don Mateo would no doubt give her.

No matter. It was better than the ear tugs or the hits she would receive as a child, all in the name of discipline…

Not that anyone would dare lay a hand on her.

Especially not when the demon’s threat still lingered in the air…

Usue smiled at the memory.

As she was led out of Hell, the demon, Sartael, had questioned how in the hell she had even gotten down there in the first place. Alastor was cruel, but even he would never take an innocent soul in place of another, much less a child’s …unless there was something to gain from it.  

She remembered how the lean demon had paused mid-step and gawked down at her when she answered that she had made a deal with the archdemon; he would take her to see her mother, and in exchange, she had given him her soul. Upon the demon’s following demand of _why_ she ever do something so _stupid_ , she gave the shortened version of what led her to make the deal, as well as filling him in on how she was treated throughout her life.

It was safe to say that even Sartael was disgusted at the other adults’ treatment towards the child. Apparently, abusers were some of his least favorite souls in Hell, and were some of the few that he had no problem punishing. None the less, he told her to _never_ sell her soul like that again. Then, to make sure she gave him her word, they made one final deal. He would make sure the villagers treated her better, and in exchange, she would never pawn her soul away again.

They shook on it, and Sartael made good on his part of the deal, adding in a few threats for good measure before dashing off.

And that was it.

Twelve years later, and she had yet to see or hear from the demon again, and at this point, she doubt she would ever see him again.

Pity, as she could _really_ use his help again…

Maybe if he was here, he could straighten out some things he said all those years ago.

If he were here, he could tell them that she wasn’t _really_ a saint. That it was just a metaphor on how, despite what everyone thought of her, she was really a good child and even _she_ didn’t deserve to be in Hell.

That’s all she wanted.

She never wanted the villagers to take his words literally, nor did she want to follow the path to sainthood.

Instead, she rather leave this village and travel the country and as much of the world as she could.

She would rather learn about different cultures and their views on religion and myths.

If she could, she would also love to find an educated person to talk about these scientific theories that were floating around. Theories that Don Mateo called ‘blasphemy’. His least favorite scientific topic was that of the giant bones found in England.

‘Lies! They’re nothing but rocks and stone, carved by sculptors! There’s no such thing as ‘giant lizards’!’ The old priest ranted to his congregation.

The villagers had agreed with him, but Usue didn’t. She thought of gigantic reptiles roaming the Earth long before them, fascinated her.

Science fascinated her.

Myths and paganism fascinated her too.

But none fascinated her more than the forbidden arts of witchcraft, as well as the darkest of all dark topics in Christanity…

 _Demons_.

Demonology.  

Usue’s fascination of the subject was her biggest secret to date. If anyone in the monastery found out…

The woman shuddered at the thought. She doubt even a demon’s threat could save her from what Don Mateo and Blanca would do if they ever found out.

But they _wouldn’t_ find out. So long as she was careful and no one caught her sneaking out at night or creeping back in the early hours of the morning, she would be fine.

She _should_ be fine.

Usue pushed herself up off the bed and made her way over to her wardrobe and pulled out her outfit for the day. She swiftly got changed and picked up a brush and ran it through her hair, flinching whenever she hit a tangle. She paused when she caught sight of her burned cheek.

She gently ran her fingers over the burn and thought back to the man responsible for well… _everything._

If it hadn’t been for Patxi and his short temper, she would have never been left scared and orphaned. She wouldn’t have ever been teased for her injury or how her mother was left burning in the world’s largest inferno. She would have never made a deal with a demon and ended up nearly spending an eternity in Hell. And even now, if none of that had happened, she wouldn’t be in the situation she was in now.

There were so many things that could have been prevented if it weren’t for that Blacksmith, and in theory, she was in every right to be angry with him, and yet…she wasn’t.

Irritated, perhaps, but fully out angry? Not at all. Patxi had redeemed himself by sacrificing his life and going into Hell to save her and search out her mother.

If that didn’t count as a redeeming quality, Usue didn’t know _what_ did.

She brought the brush up to her hair once more and continued to comb through it as her mind continued to wonder.

Despite the smith’s promise to find her mother while armed with a large bell, Usue couldn’t help but wonder if he was successful in his quest, or if he had been subdued after entering the gates of Hell. If he _did_ manage to find her mother, what was his plan afterwards? He couldn’t have managed to get them out of Hell…Sartael did mention that once one passes the gates, there was no going back. But then again…he did have a bell large enough to subdue the other demons…

Or was his plan to just find his wife and make a quick reconciliation before being captured?

So many questions ran through the young woman’s mind that she wanted answered.

Unfortunately, asking God didn’t seem to be the best one to get said answers, and according to several books on the occult and demon worship, Satan and his leagues of demons were the best bet for quick results…

Usue sighed as she put down her brush. Though extreme, it certainly was an option she been putting a lot of thought into, despite her previous promise with Sartael that she wouldn’t mess with that sort of thing anymore.

 ‘But if I’m careful and respectful, things should turn out okay…so long as I don’t bargain away my soul again.’ She told herself.

She had just finished tying up her bandana when another knock sounded from the door.

“Usue! What on Earth is taking you so long?!” Blanca fumed from the other side.

“I’m coming already!” Usue snapped back and she unlocked the door and pulled it open.

“What were you doing that you kept us waiting?! Did you fall back asleep?” Blanca interrogated; her expression set in firm annoyance.

“No, I was just lost in my thoughts is all.” Usue defended.

Blanca frowned, “ _Lost in thought_ …?” The older woman shook her head dismissively, “Usue, we don’t have _time_ for you to be daydreaming!”

“Yes, yes, I know!” Usue interrupted as she pushed past Blanca and stormed down the corridor.

Blanca stared after the girl before rushing to catch up with her, “I need you to go out and pick up some groceries from the market…we’re out of bread and eggs and when you get back, we’ll need some more fresh water.” She listed off as she pulled up beside her foster daughter.

“Egg, bread and water.” Usue repeated.

Blanca reached out and grabbed the girl’s arm, “ _Try_ not to dally…there’s more work waiting for you here.” She waved a finger at Usue as if she were still a small child.

Usue merely frowned at her foster mother’s antics, “I’ll be back as soon as possible.” She assured half-heartedly while wrapping her shawl around her shoulders.

Blanca merely huffed as the young woman picked up a small basked and left the monastery, “Don’t be long!” she called out in reminder, taking a few steps out the door.

“I won’t!” Usue called back without turning.

Blanca adjusted her shawl and went back into the church, letting the door shut with a loud bang.

Usue looked back at the sound, before turning forward and continuing at a slower pace.

She let out a heavy sigh and swung her basket lazily as she strolled down the streets.

Her first stop is to the local shop where she purchases several loaves of bread as well as a couple of peaches with some spare change she brought along. She heads to the next shop for the eggs.

Upon entering the shop, she caught sight of several caged chickens and paused in thought. Several of her occult books stated that chickens were a good sacrifice for a summoning.

But could she really get away with purchasing a chicken and using it as an offering?

Bring home a chicken would raise enough questions as it is, what would happen if the hen went missing over night? What would she say then? That it got out and a stray dog or a fox killed it? That could work, but with that excuse, there would be accusations that she was irresponsible for not taking proper care of it and letting it get loose.

Then there was the issue of the price. Usue wasn’t carrying enough money to purchase a chicken at the moment, and returning for the purchase would only raise more suspicion from her guardians as to why she was so keen to purchase a hen or rooster.

Also, could she _really_ go through with killing a chicken herself? She wasn’t as squeamish as most of the other girls in the village, but killing a bird that would no doubt start thrashing and squawking and making all sorts of noise…yeah, there was no chance that was happening.

“Here for your eggs again Usue?”

Usue jumped at the sudden voice, “Y-yes.” She gave the shop owner a polite smile and held out her basket. “Well take a dozen please.”

The elderly man took the basket and shuffled over to where several hens were nesting.

“How are your studies coming along?” he asked, making polite conversation as he retrieved the eggs and settled them carefully around the bread that took up the carrier.

“Fine. They’re coming along fine.” Usue replied as she observed the various birds that softly clucked at her through the bars.

“Making Mateo and Blanca proud?” The man pried on.

Usue blinked and straightened, “…they’re trying to be…” she answered cryptically.

“Oh…” the man fell silent at that.

He remembered how odd and rambunctious the girl had been in her childhood, and by the looks of it…she hadn’t grown out of any of that. If anything, it seemed as if she was growing more and more defiant by the day.

Certainly _not_ nun material, much less Saint material.

Who _knows_ what that damn demon was going on about all those years ago…

None the less, everyone held on to the hope that Usue would at least shape up so she could function normally in society.

At the very least, she’d settle down and become a good wife if the nun thing didn’t work out. Lord knows young Benito had developed quite a crush on Usue over the years.

“Well…I’m sure things well get better.” The man assured as he handed the carrier back to Usue.

Usue sent him a forced smile in return as she handed him the money, “I hope so.”

“Have a blessed day!” the shop owner said as she left the shop.

“You too.” Usue returned half-heartedly. She quickly made her way down the street, away from the shop and _that_ particular conversation.

She hated how everyone just _had_ to bring up the fact that she was a nun in training…or that is, she was training to be a nun in training…if that even made any sense.

‘ _We’re not sending you away until we’re sure you’re ready for your training. You will not embarrass us while you study!’_

Don Mateo’s words rung through her head as she continued down the road.

Usue scoffed.

As if she would _actually_ go through with it!

Even if they did send her away, she would just end up dropping out and run away. They would only be making it easier on her to leave without much fuss.

Though if she could, she would rather leave before then.

She already had travel supplies and money she had saved up hidden away and ready to go. She just needed the right opportunity to leave…as well as the transportation she needed to get to the next town.

Walking wouldn’t have been a problem if her village hadn’t been out in the middle of nowhere.

The issue of Mateo and Blanca chasing after her was something else she had to think about. There was no way they would be okay with her leaving and going against _their_ plans. If fact with her luck, they would catch her just down the road, and that’s _if_ she even made it out the church after her announcement to leave town.

‘I could always leave in the dead of night and leave a note.’ She thought with pursed lips, ‘It would defiantly buy me some time as opposed to delivering the news to their faces.’ She contemplated this option.

On one hand; sneaking off in the middle of the night granted her the ability to leave without much of a fight. The down side would be her guardians’ reactions to her disappearance with only a letter explaining her flight. What’s more, if she went this route, it would only lead to more questions and a more likely chance that Mateo would send out a party out to retrieve her.

One the other hand; if she confronted her guardians face to face, it would give her the opportunity to fully explain _why_ she was doing what she was doing and if needed, she could calm their nerves before she left. That is, so long as they didn’t cut her off and lock her in her room then and there, and unfortunately…that would no doubt be the case.

Mateo and Blanca had it in their heads that Usue was destined to be a Saint, and as God as their witness, they were going to _make sure_ it happened.

Usue scoffed, earning a look from some women as she passed by, ‘Of course, when _I_ want something, it’s always ‘Usue, don’t be so selfish, it’s not always about what _you_ want’, but when _they_ want something, I’m expected to drop everything and do what they want, when they want, and exactly how they want. Never mind _my_ dreams, so long as _they’re_ happy, that’s all that matters.’ She scowled at the hypocrisy of it all. 

And she told Blanca about the unfairness of it all… _many_ times, and she always got the same answer about how as a future nun and member of the church, she was supposed to be considerate and put everyone before her and so on and so forth…

Usue shifted her basket to her other hand. Selfish. _Considerate_.

It would be a lie to say that Usue wasn’t a tad bit selfish, but to be fair, who wasn’t? And Considerate? Yes, she liked to think she could be considerate at times…so long as the person was deserving of her kindness.

If someone were to ask something of her, and did so nicely, then yes, Usue had no problem putting others before her.

But the rude ones? The ones that still whispered about her behind her back and _still_ gossiped about her mother’s fate?

To Hell with them.

They weren’t worth her time.

The only time she would bend to her bully’s request was when Mateo or Blanca were around and she was _forced_ to just smile and comply. The times she was alone however…that’s another story.

A story that usually found its way back to her guardians and ultimately led to a forced apology which was always met by a smug smirk and her tormentors having their small victory.

Usue clenched her jaw.

Gods she hated how her life was turning out…

She continued to make her way through the village, heading back to the church to drop off the food products and then leaving to get some fresh water.

She was so lost in thought that she didn’t even register the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps until they were right next to her, which caused her to jump at her company’s sudden arrival.

“Usue!”

She turned and locked eyes with the owner of the voice, “ _What_ Benito?” she huffed as the young man slowed to match her pace.

“I’ve been looking for you.” Came his response.

“I’m sure you have.” Usue rolled her eyes, “What do you want?” she demanded.

She didn’t care how he felt about her now, what did matter was how he treated her during their childhood.

One doesn’t just _forget_ how they were bullied on a daily basis, nor do they easily forgive their old tormentor. It didn’t matter that he had a ‘crush’ on her when they were kids. If he really liked her as much as he and others claim he did, then he wouldn’t have treated her the way he did.

 He would have never torn her doll apart and tossed it into Patxi’s yard, forcing her to retrieve it herself.

‘Although…if he hadn’t done so, then you would have never met Patxi or Sartael, and she had never met them, Patxi wouldn’t have gone to Hell to find her mother…

Usue blinked hard as if to snap herself out of that ring of thought.

No use in getting worked up over that right now, _especially_ when Benito was right there.

Despite this, Benito noticed her distress and furrowed his brow in concern, “Are you okay?”

Usue looked back at him, “I’m fine. I’m just thinking.”

“About what?”

“About what you could possibly want that’s made you chase me around town.” Usue snapped as she sent him a glare.

Her aggression wasn’t anything new to the young man, and he merely shrugged off the hostility and held up a couple of glass jugs, “They sent me out to help you with the water.” He grinned sheepishly.

Usue scoffed. She knew who ‘they’ were, and apparently, she was taking so long with her errands that they felt the need to send out Benito to give her a hand.

But if Usue had to guess, it was probably upon Benito’s insistence that he go out and find her, and more than likely, without his mother’s knowledge.

Despite everything, Ana was one of the few that still disliked Usue and wanted her son to have nothing to do with the young woman.

Unfortunately for both women, Benito didn’t care what his mother thought and wanted, and pursued Usue despite the fact that she was a ‘nun in training’ and technically _couldn’t_ be in any sort of romantic relationship.

‘As if he’d ever be my first, or _any_ choice.’ She thought, ‘ _But_ … guess it doesn’t hurt to have a helping hand…’

“I suppose it’s good that you came out as it saved me a trip back to the church.” She admitted as they changed directions and walked towards the village fountain.

Benito grinned at the shift of tone, “Are things that bad over there?”

“Not necessarily _bad_ , just… _frustrating_.”

“I’ll bet. All that studying and training…” Benito agreed.

Usue frowned, “You don’t even know the _half_ of it.”

“Don’t I?”

“You don’t.”

“I know that there are other options if you choose not to go through with this.” Benito stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

Usue furrowed her brow in mock thought, “Oh? Like what?”

Benito shrugged, “Liiike…you can start seeing men…and maybe eventually… _marry_ someone?” he sent her what he thought was a casual, hinting look, but all Usue saw was ‘desperation’.

“And who would I marry? _You_?” Usue raised her brows in the young man’s direction.

Benito chuckled nervously, a blush forming on his cheeks, “Well, I don’t mean to brag, but…I’d like to think I could provide for a woman pretty well.” He sent her another grin.

Usue regarded him silently, “And your mother?” she smirked and crossed her arms, “I assume you’d like to think that she’ll open up to me and embrace me as her daughter-in-law.” She raised a brow as she waited his response.

The man blinked and shook his head, “She…she likes you-”

“ _Bull_!” Usue hissed, “I know _exactly_ what your mother says about me behind my back!”

“She only makes those assumptions because witches are known to be close allies with the demons, and since you helped that one-” he flinched, “it’s understandable why people would jump to that conclusion.”

“And yet you don’t do anything to dispel them of that assumption?” Usue challenged.

 “I do! It’s just…they aren’t easy to convince and they tend to stick to what they believe.” Benito argued.

Usue shifted her weight, “And what about the other rumors? The ones that claim I go around trying to seduce men into my bed?”

Benito perked up, “Now that one I fought as much as I could, and in case you haven’t noticed, those rumors have quieted down quite a lot!” he crossed his arms.

Usue huffed as she finally grabbed one of the large, glass jugs and dipped it into the pool. “They haven’t been silenced enough.” She grumbled as she took the container out of the water and placed it on the ground next to her.

“I don’t know what you want me to say.” Benito replied as he filled up the other jug.

“I don’t want you to say anything,” Usue handed him her full container he stood back up, “I just want you to know why things between us wouldn’t work so long as your mother continues to have these thoughts about me.” Benito opened his mouth to argue, but Usue cut him off, “But it’s not just you. I don’t have any attraction to any of the young men in the village, and it’s not just because of the recent bullying, but because of all the harassment that happened during my earliest years of life.”

With that, she turned as walked away, leaving Benito to rush after her.

“You’re _still_ upset about that?” he asked incredulously.

Usue whirled around with a glare, “It’s not something that’s easy to get over!”

Benito cringed.

Point taken.

“Your right. I’m sorry.”

“You’re going to have to do better than that.”

Benito’s jaw dropped, “Are you serious? What more do I need to do?!”

Usue paused in mock thought, “Hmm. I don’t know, but I’ll let you know when I think of something.” By now, they had made it back to the church, and they were quick to climb the stairs.

The young man gave a dramatic sigh, “You’re _difficult_. You know that right?”

“I know!” Usue smiled and shrugged before turning and entering the building while having the decency to hold the door open for Benito.

The young man followed her in and remained silent as they made their way to the kitchen, where Blanca was busy preparing the day’s lunch, and nearby was none other than Ana, who sent the tiniest of scowls in Usue’s direction.

“There you are, it’s about time!” Blanca complained as she took the food from the youngest woman. “I thought I told you not to waste time!” she scolded.

“There were some… _distractions._ ” Usue argued gently while sending a pointed look in Benito’s direction.

Ana caught the look and sniffed in distaste, “I’m sure you would know a lot about distractions seeing as you _are_ one.” She bit out.

The other three occupants in the kitchen froze at the insult, and Usue looked over at Benito, waiting for his response.

Benito froze and Usue nodded.

Just as she thought.

If Benito was still afraid of his own _mother_ , how did he expect her to believe that he actually defended her reputation from the other villagers.

She caught his eye, and gave a small jerk of her head in Ana’s direction.

Seeing no other way around it, Benito warily cleared his throat and stepped forward, “Mom, I don’t think its fair to talk about Usue like that-” He fell silent at his mother’s icy glare.

 With a shake of her head, Usue stepped forward, “I think what he _means to say_ ,” she shot the man a pointed glance, “is; what the hell is that supposed to mean?!”

“Usue!” Blanca yelped; her eyes wide at her foster daughter’s foul language.

Usue ignored her guardian and moved closer to the other woman, “What do you mean _I’m_ the distraction?”

Ana, not one that was about to let herself be intimidated by this younger woman, this… _witch_ …

“All I’m saying,” Ana started, “Is that every time my son slacks on his duties, you are usually the reason behind it. He’s constantly chasing after you, though I can’t imagine _why_.”

Usue scoffed, “It’s not like I _ask_ him to follow me like a lost puppy-”

Benito blinked, “Um…” What was that about him being a lost puppy?

“-he comes to me all on his own.”

Ana gave a sharp laugh, “I have a hard time believing _that_!”

“And why’s that?” Usue challenged.

“Because you’re just like your _mother._ ” Ana bit out and Usue tensed, “She was a real succubus, and you’re following in her footsteps!”

“Ana!” Blanca snapped.

Usue’s blue eyes flashed in fury, but before she could say anything in defense, Ana continued, “And I _know_ that you dabble in the occult! I don’t have any proof right now, but I just _know_ that you do! You’re using some sort of spell to lure my son into whatever trap you and your masters have laid out!”

“… _What_ are you talking about?” Honestly, Usue had never been so confused in her life. What masters was Ana talking about?

“Those _demons_!” Ana snapped, “You’ve conversed with them and even made a deal with one of them! I _know_ you’re still in league with those monsters!” she pointed a finger in Usue’s face.

For a split second, Usue had the strongest urge to bite the digit, but refrained from doing so. It was best to stay civilized.

But in all honesty, when did Ana become so _deranged_?

In a way, she wasn’t exactly _wrong_ about a couple of things, but using magic to seduce Benito?

That was a laugh.

Usue wouldn’t even _dream_ of wasting her potential on him.

The young woman slapped the hand out of her face and settled her own steely gaze on the stunned, older woman, “You seem to really enjoy talking about things you don’t know _anything_ about.” She hissed. “I have _no_ master, be it demon or otherwise, and I have _never_ placed a spell on your son, but it you keep pushing me, then _maybe_ I just might-”

“ _What_ is going on in here?!”

Whatever Usue was going to say next was lost as Don Mateo hobbled into the kitchen, his eyes shifting from person to person.

“What is going on?” he repeated as his eyes finally landed on Usue as she was the last one he heard speaking, and judging by the small bit he did manage to hear, it _didn’t_ sound good.

The silence he was met with was cut short by Ana, “Your charge here,” she jerked her head at Usue, “was in the middle of threatening me!”

Mateo’s eyes widened and he directed his gaze back at the youngest woman, “Usue!”

“She was threatening to set a curse on me!” Ana added, causing Benito to pinch his brow in exasperation.

This did nothing to ease the situation, and Mateo’s frown deepened, “What is she talking about?”

Usue opened her mouth to defend herself, when Blanca quickly jumped in, “Ana is just exaggerating. Usue was merely sticking her foot in her mouth as she always does.” She sent a pointed look at Usue that read ‘ _go_ with it’.

Luckily, the girl got the message and she forced an innocent smile, “Yes, you know me. _Always_ speaking without thinking.”

Mateo huffed, “I’ve already warned you about that tongue of yours.” He waved a finger in his charge’s direction, “One of these days, it’s going to get you in trouble!”

Usue fought the urge to roll her eyes and simply nodded, “I understand, and I apologize.”

She wasn’t in the least bit sorry for what she almost said, but if it meant a punishment from her guardians, she would play the part of the obedient woman…for now.

“I believe you owe Ana an apology as well.” Blanca imputed from her spot by the table.

“That she does. _Go on_ Usue.” Mateo pushed, motioning a hand in Ana’s direction.

The older woman turned back to Usue, her arms crossed and her chin tilted up.

Usue eyed the occupants who all stared back expectantly. It seemed as if there was no way around it.

She sighed and faced the shrew of a woman, “I apologize for what I was about to say even though I didn’t mean it, and I’m for upsetting you…even though you were the one that started it.”

Blanca brought a hand to her face in exasperation. Some things really never changed with that girl.

“You expect me to believe that? I didn’t buy that for a second!” Ana complained.

“You were the one that opened your mouth first!” Usue snapped back, all pretense of friendliness, gone.

“You called my son a ‘distraction’!”

“You called my mother a succubus!”

“You threatened to curse me!”

“I wasn’t being serious! And besides, you were the one that started calling me a witch!”

“Well you-”

“Ladies! Please!” Mateo spoke over them.

Immediately, both women fell silent but continued to glare at each other.

One could practically _see_ the hate emanating from them.

The aging priest looked between the two females and made a mental note to keep the two away from each other from now on.

He _especially_ had to keep a close eye on Usue.

Things weren’t going well for the young lady.

If she was going to enter heaven as a Saint, she had a lot of work to do in the attitude department. And those rumors of her being a witch?

Mateo repressed a shudder.

God help her if that were true…

For now though, he thought it was best to defuse this current situation and then deal with Usue later.

Some extra chores should do the trick.

“Ana,” the old man started, nearly flinching as she snapped her gaze over to him, “I apologize on behalf of my charge, and I assure you there won’t be any more threats towards you or your family.”

“But she-”

Mateo put up a hand, effectively cutting off any protest the young woman had, “Why don’t you and your son go home? I’m sure Santi’s wondering about you two by now.” He suggested gently.

Ana tugged on her shawl, “Good idea. I don’t want my son anywhere near her anyway.” She turned to the younger man, “Let’s go Benito!” she ordered before storming past Usue and out of the kitchen.

Benito took a couple of tentative steps after her before stopping and looking over at Usue.

The young woman just crossed her arms and shook her head.

Sighing in defeat, Benito followed after his mother, leaving the final three occupants in silence.

Usue turned her head in the direction of his departure, and as soon as she heard the front door close, she turned back and was met with identical, disapproving frowns.

“What?” she asked incredulously. She knew what was coming, and was braced for it.

“What do you mean ‘ _what’_?” Blanca barked, planting her hands firmly on her hips, her eyes narrowing as she regarded the younger woman, “You were picking a fight _again_! Must you _always_ do that?”

“I was _defending_ myself. You asked a question, I answered, and _she_ was the one that started insulting me while you just _stood_ there!” How many times did Usue have to explain it?!

“You were the one that started the name calling when you called her son a distraction-”

“I never said he _was_ the distraction, a said there was _a_ distraction, and it just so happens that he was the cause of it.” Usue pursed her lips. Was that really so hard to understand? Yes, she did look at Benito after she said it, but she thought that they would pick up on what she meant and that would have been that. Even if it _was_ true that Benito tended to pull her into unwilling conversations while she was supposed to be working. _That_ was all on him, but _never_ did she say Benito’s existence and purpose in life was to be a distraction.

However Ana took it was on her, and Usue _hated_ the woman for always putting words into her mouth. And she _hated_ it when her guardians took the hags word over hers…

Sadly, it looked like this would be another case in which the older priest and his consort would be taking someone else’s side _again_.

Mateo shook his head, “None the less, you _shouldn’t_ be fighting with the other villagers-”

“We’ve been over this, _many_ times!” Blanca added.

“-yes, and it’s getting really old to keep having the same conversation.” Mateo finished.

Usue exhaled in defeat, a small frown tugging on her lips. A half assed “I’m sorry” was all she could say.

“Not yet you’re not, but before we go into your punishment, there is one more issue we need to address.” Mateo furrowed his brow and shuffled closer, “What was that I heard about you partaking in witchcraft?”

This time, it was Blanca that actually came to her rescue, “I think that was just Ana speculating and feeding off mere gossip.”

Mateo regarded Usue in silence, “I pray those are just rumors…”

“They are! I’m not doing anything!” Usue argued.

“You better not be, or else you’ll end up back in Hell!” Mateo shot back and he waved a finger in her direction.

Blanca’s face dropped in horror, and she turned back to Usue, “ _Please_ tell me you aren’t!”

“I just _said_ I wasn’t!”

 _Really_ now?

Mateo scowled, “If I ever hear that you are-”

“You _won’t_.” Usue assured. That was a promise. Not to him, but to herself.

Thank the gods she was smart enough to hide her books and materials out of the household and away from the church.

The elderly man gave a loud huff at the woman’s response.

There was indeed _much_ work to be done with her before they could even _think_ about sending her off to the monastery. 

“Just know that we are keeping an eye on you.” Mateo threatened.

‘Not nearly a good enough eye.’ Usue thought as she nodded in understanding.

The priest gave a satisfied nod, “Good. Now, about your punishment for your behavior…”

 

** Later that evening. **

Usue pushed the door to her room open and sluggishly trudged into the cramped dwelling. She moved over to her bed and dropped down with a groan, her body aching from the extra work she was put through.

Sweeping, mopping, dusting, polishing…

The list went on, and it was just recently that Blanca released her from her duties and sent her to get ready for dinner. Though at this state, Usue would rather skip dinner and just go straight to sleep. She could always make up for the lost meal with a large breakfast in the morning.

‘Yeah…let’s do that.’ Usue thought drowsily as her eyes began to shut.

As she waited for sleep to overtake her, her mind went back to the day’s events that transpired and what ultimately led to her current state.

Trust Ana to bring out the worst in her and raise suspicions in front of Mateo and Blanca. In fact, Usue wouldn’t be surprised if it was Ana that was going around town spreading and feeding all those lies about Usue.

“Crazy hag.” Usue mumbled as she pressed her cheek against her soft pillow, “Maybe _she’s_ the witch.”

‘She’ll be lucky if I _don’t_ hex her tonight.’ She thought with a yawn as she snuggled deeper into her covers.

Wait…

Usue’s eyes snapped open and she sat straight up.

 _Tonight_!

Usue brought a hand to her head as a certain memory hit her.

She was going out on another one of her night excursions to the woods, and had told herself, way before the scenario with Ana, that she would try her hand at contacting someone from the fiery pit notoriously known as ‘Hell’.

She had heard that demons, while tricksters and deceivers, were known to deliver fast results to desperate humans, and it just so happened that _Usue_ was a desperate human that needed fast results.

After today’s confrontation with Ana, Usue was more eager than ever to know the fate of her mother and Patxi.

Was it a risky and reckless move? Yes. Yes it was, and not just because she knew she’d be condemning her soul in the afterlife, but because if Mateo or Blanca found out what she was doing…well…it certainly wouldn’t be pretty, especially after Usue had denied her involvement with witchcraft time and time again.

Disownment would be the best outcome.

At worst? They’d probably burn her at the stake…

Usue shivered at the thought.

She didn’t think they would _literally_ do it, but she was sure they would think of something that would be considered _worse_ than disownment…

 Usue bit her lip as she stared down at the floor, nerves and excitement ran through her.

She was _actually_ going to do this…the biggest ‘no-no’ in religion.

She looked out her window and saw that while it was still relatively early in the evening, and there was enough sunlight that no one would think twice about a young woman taking a stroll after a long, tiring day. Why would they? After all, the woods were rather nice at this time of day.

Usue nodded. Before another realization hit her.

After her behavior today, it would be crazy to think that Blanca or Mateo would let her go out and take a simple walk, much less, unescorted when it would be dark out soon.

She pursed her lips.

Her only other option was to sneak out again.

She stood up and made her way to the door, opened it and looked up and down the hallway before pulling back in and locking it.

She went over to her wardrobe and pulled out a sack and her pair of ‘outdoor’ shoes. Inside the bag was her selected ‘appropriate’ attire for conducting the ceremony, as well as matches and several candles, appropriately colored for the selected demon she was going to summon.

Usue let out a breath as she held the bag to her chest.

_She was really going to do this!_

That thought kept racing through her mind as she placed the sack back in the wardrobe and moved to lay on her bed once more.

She stared at her ceiling as she thought out her game plan. It would be tough since she was more accustomed to sneaking out at night, but she would manage.

She would have to as she would need whatever light she could get in order to properly read the instructions for the ritual. It would be a damn shame if she got something wrong due to miss reading something while only relying on candle light…

Usue shook her head.

It was probably best to focus on the plan and not on what could _possibly_ go wrong.

She closed her eyes and thought hard.

As to put off any suspicions, she would go down to dinner and would no doubt have the duty of cleaning up while Mateo and Blanca went to their own rooms for the night. Mateo would be locked in his room preparing for his next sermon the following day, and Blanca would be in her own room either reading or knitting until she would eventually fall asleep. Both cases worked out well for Usue as neither left their rooms once they went in. Basically, after dinner, they were done for the night, and Usue wouldn’t see them till the following day, which would no doubt make it easier to sneak out so early.

Yes…that could work…

“Usue! It’s time for dinner!”

Usue jerked into a sitting position, her heart racing and pounding in her chest.

It looked like phase one was about to commence.

With her mind set, Usue stood up and put her plan into action.

** Post Dinner **

Usue was practically shaking with excitement as she dried the last of the dinner plates.

The meal had gone as well and as uneventful as she had assumed it would with only a few words spoken in Usue’s direction.

Mateo and Blanca were more preoccupied with news about the ongoing in and out of town. One particular topic was of a young drifter that had arrived several days prior and was staying just outside the village with the town’s _eccentric_ couple.

Usue practically smirked at the thought of the elderly man and woman that had arrive only five years prior. They were defiantly an odd couple, but they were probably the nicest people she had ever met and were the only ones in town that were genuinely kind to her.

In all, she liked them and could only assume that the new comber staying with them was either a friend or a relative, such as a son or perhaps even a grandson.

‘Nothing to get worked up about.’ Usue thought as she dried her hands.

“I’m finished.” She announced to her guardians.

The couple looked up from their conversation.

“Did you put everything away?” Blanca asked.

Usue nodded and motioned around the room, “Everything’s done.”

Mateo stood up with Blanca following his lead, “Very good, I suppose you’re done for the evening.” Usue sighed with relief and the old man continued, “But let this be a lesson for you to mind your manners!” he warned sternly.

Usue nodded with enthusiasm.

“Good. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll retire for the evening.” Mateo announced as he began to take his leave.

Blanca made to follow him but stopped and turned back to the young woman, “ _Do not_ stay up too late.” She warned before turning and making her way back to her own room.

Usue remained in the kitchen for a while longer.

The second she heard the doors to her guardians’ quarters close, she made a mad dash to her room to retrieve her items.

Commence phase two.

** Thirty minutes later **

Usue clutched her sack in one hand while the other held the shawl the was draped around her shoulders, effectively covering the dark, scandalous clothing she now wore.

Blanca would have a fit if it got back to her about the lowcut dress Usue was seen wearing as she wondered the streets under the cover of night.

The thought more chores for punishment made her tighten her hold and quicken her pace.

Hopefully if all went well, the meeting would end quickly and she could get home soon.

Only when she neared Santi’s tavern did she slow down her pace, least her footsteps cause enough racket to draw attention.

She stepped cautiously past the bar, her eyes locked on the door, and her body tense and ready to sprint and hide should the need arise.

Luckily, no one burst out and she was able to pass the crowded watering hole with ease.

However, it would seem that’s where her luck ran out.

She had been so occupied with the building that she hadn’t even thought to look around for anyone that may have been loitering _outside_ the tavern.

She had _just_ stepped within ‘safety range’ when she turned and froze at the sight before her.

‘Oh… _shit_!’ was the only thing she could think of when she caught sight of the young, dark haired, bearded man leaning against another building only a few yards from where she stood.

Her heart skipped a beat when he turned his head and regarded her almost lazily.  He blew out a puff of smoke, and Usue noticed he had a lit cigar in his hand.

How could she not have smelled that?

Had she been paying attention to her other surroundings, she would have noticed the smell, and thus the man, and would have taken a different route to avoid him.

If she could, she would have slapped herself for her stupidity then and there…

“It’s getting a little late to be wondering by yourself, don’t you think?”

Usue blinked as the man addressed her.

The man took another drag of his cigar as he waited for her response.

“…I-…I’m just going for a quick walk.” She fibbed. She had never seen this man before, but it didn’t hurt to be cautious.

“A walk?” the man repeated.

“Yes.”

“Alone?”

Usue remained silent, now growing uneasy.

If she confirmed his guess, it would only make it easier for him to follow her and do who knows what, with no one to help her. If she lied and said she _was_ meeting someone, he could still follow her and once he saw that she _was_ in fact alone, he could do whatever he wanted then.

Of course, this was all speculation, but having heard enough stories of what happened to some unsuspecting women from the larger cities, she felt she had every right to expect the worst.

As if reading her mind, the man blew out the smoke before speaking once more, “I’m not going to try anything, I’m just wondering why a little girl is out by herself when she _should_ be inside doing whatever it is that little girls do during the evening.” He took another drag.

_Little girl?!_

All fear was gone, and Usue pursed her lips as anger took over, “I am _not_ a little girl! I’m twenty years old!”

None perturbed, the man scoffed, “That’s still sounds young to me.”

Usue swept her eyes over him, “ _You’re_ one to talk. You look around the same age as me!”

“I’m older.”

This time, it was Usue that scoffed, “Maybe by a year or so.”

The man shook his head, “Try _five_.”

“Oh yes, that’s such a _big_ age difference.” Usue rolled her eyes. What was this guy’s problem?

“It may not be much, but it still means I’ve got five more years of experience than you.” He smirked as he threw the cigar on the ground and snuffed it out with his foot.

Usue watched his movements before snapping her blue eyes back at him, “Mature. Right. I mean it certainly explains why you’re standing out here arguing with a younger woman.” With a surge of confidence, she walked forward, “If you’re so tough and smart, why don’t you go share your ‘experience’ with the other men _your_ age.” She motioned to the noisy tavern.

“ _Grow up._ ” She hissed as she walked past him. Any fear she had of him had diminished, and at this point, she was about ready to slug him in the face and take him down a notch.

The man merely narrowed his eyes as she moved past him, but made no move to grab or follow her, nor did he say anything else. At one point, Usue turned to look back and saw that the man was still in his spot, leaning against the wall, and was simply staring after her.

Sending one final glare, she turned and hurried down the road that would lead her to the forest.

** Deep in the forest **

Usue smiled as she arrived at her designated tree where she spent as much of her free time as she could.

She set her sack down by the trunk before counting ten paces North of the tree, stomping as she did so.

“…Seven…eight…nine…ten-” **Thunk!**

Usue’s grin grew at the hollow sound, and she dropped down to her knees, bushing leaves and other foliage from the ground.

Eventually, a large slab of flat wood revealed itself, and Usue tugged on the handle, revealing a hidden compartment.

Usue sat and eased herself into the pit and began to rummage through her other belongings.

The secret chasm itself had an interesting history and growth.

Originally, Usue had started off with a simple hole and old jewelry box to hide her most prized possessions, but as time went and Usue gained more… _condemning_ items, the crater continued to grow and deepen until it reached its current size of a five-by-five-foot square with a four-foot depth.

Its contents included books on witchcraft, demons and stories on pagan myths from around the world; candles; paint; clothing; money (earned from working small, odd jobs around the village); and various other equipment needed for performing rituals or worship.

Among the stash were several slabs of neatly cut, slabs of wood.

Usue grunted as she struggled to get the square shaped planks out of her man-made ditch. Once that was done, she tossed up a couple of other sacks before clambering out of the hole herself. She eyed her materials as she bushed off her dress and sent a quick look around.

Seeing that the coast was clear, she set to work setting up her materials.

She dragged the slabs into position, pausing to observe the pentagram and other sigils she had painted into the wood only a week prior.

By the looks of it, they seemed to have faired well due to being protected deep within the earth. None the less, she opened her small jar of black paint and made quick work to add several touch ups.

Next, she set up the candles around the area making sure to place at least one black one to the left of the ‘altar’, and one white one on the right before lighting them.

She then grabbed one of her books and turned to the page for her chosen demon.

Orobas. The oracle of Lucifer.

It was said that he knew the answers to the past, present and future.

With him, Usue could find out about her mother and what became of Patxi after he entered Hell…

Usue’s hand trembled with nerves and excitement as she opened the paint jar once more and picked up her brush. She had to take a couple of calming breaths before painting the final sigil on the board.

Once done, she sat back and waited for the paint to dry.

As she waited, she looked over her equipment. She had the sigils and candles in place; she had her bell; her chalice and wine beside her. Her other items included a small gong, parchment a dagger and…

Usue’s heart dropped.

_The offering!_

She didn’t have an offering!

Usue groaned and tossed her head back in frustration.

She had been in such a hurry to perform the ritual _tonight_ that she had completely overlooked the fact that she needed an offering for the demon.

“I should have just bought the damn chicken! The fox story might have even worked!” She knocked a hand against her forehead.

“ _Stupid_!” she hissed in a fit.

What the hell was she supposed to do now? Slice her hand and use her own blood?!

Not going to happen.

There was _no way_ so was going to risk slicing a vein and bleeding out in the middle of the woods. Plus, how would she explain the cut to her guardians when they woke up in the morning?

She could picture it now,

_‘Good heavens Usue! What happened to your hand?!’_

_‘Oh this? It’s nothing. I tripped on the steps and cut myself on an edge, its nothing to worry about…really.’_

She scoffed. Even _she_ could hear how ridiculous that sounded.

Usue reached over and slammed her book shut. Without a sacrifice and with her being unwilling to give her own blood, it looked like the ritual _wasn’t_ going to be happening tonight.

“Gods _damn it_!” she snarled in frustration before sitting back in defeat. She would have to try again another day.

Just as this thought crossed her, a chilling breeze swept through the trees, making the candles flicker.

‘Maybe this was for the best.’ She thought as she glanced up.

The sky’s previous orange tint was now purple, giving the lighting a light blue hue. That and the steady drop in temperature told her that it was getting late.

Normally, Usue wouldn’t mind, and would have even stayed out late into the night, reading her various books, but her mood was soured at the turn of events, and she felt that the only thing left to do was to go home and better plan her next attempt.

With that in mind, she began to clean up the area, starting with the lit candles. She blew out each stick and for extra measure, she licked her fingers and pinched the wicks to fully extinguish the remaining light. She yelped as the last one burned her, and she brought her fingers to her mouth to sooth the burn.

After a moment, she removed her digits and continued her packing, shoving things into her sack for later.

She stood up and was about to bend down to retrieve her book on demons when the sound of a twig snapping mad her jerk up right.

Usue swiveled her head around as she took in the area, but the fast approaching darkness made it difficult to tell the what was foliage and what was a human.

None the less, she strained her eyes and ears in an attempt to see or hear anyone.

To her relief, nothing else came of it, and Usue allowed her self to relax slightly.

‘It was probably just an animal…a fox or a deer perhaps.

Yeah, that had to be it…

The sound of fluttering wings made her jump, and she looked up.

Perched on a nearby branch was a large raven, that stared down at the young woman.

Usue took a hesitant step back. Based on legends and superstitions, raven were usually portrayed as omens of either good or bad luck. Some mythologies depicted them as messengers to certain deities and could be associated with intelligence and destiny, where as others said they represented death and the presence of one usually foretold of bad things to come.

Or was it _crows_ that were the omens of death?

Usue wasn’t sure, but either way, the bird’s presence left her feeling uneasy. It would probably be in her best interest to get out of there as soon as possible.

She flinched as the bird suddenly flew away, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

She understood the birds were said to be highly intelligent and all, but seeing the eerie creatures still gave her the willies.

Usue shivered as she bent down once more to pick up her book.

Her fingers had _just_ wrapped around the spine when a familiar masculine voice rang out.

“It’s not good for _little girls_ to be playing with witchcraft…”

Usue’s eyes widened, and her face dropped in horror.

‘Oh… _shit_!’


	2. Return of the demon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A familiar face returns to the village and comes across another familiar face he hasn't seen in twelve years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Errementari the Blacksmith and the Devil belongs to Paul Urkijo and the awesome cast and crew that worked on this film. I make no money off this fic and the only thing I own are the oc's that appear in this fic. 
> 
> Warnings: Some foul language

Earlier that day…

Sartael grunted as he helped load up the last of the hay bundles onto the packed cart. He caught the rope that flew over the top and helped secure the load by tying his end through a built-in metal loop on the side of the wagon. He repeated this action as several more ropes swung into view.

The demon gave the ropes a few tugs and stepped back when he saw that the bundles would stay held in place.

He stepped around the cart and found his temporary ‘employer’ wiping the sweat from his balding head with a handkerchief.

The older man looked up at the younger and smiled, “I can’t thank you enough for your help Itzal.”

‘Itzal’ wiped his own brow, “It was no problem. You needed help, and I needed the money.” He assured rather bluntly.

And it was true.

After leaving Hell, Sartael lived his immortal life as a drifter, constantly on the run, spending weeks on end either in inns or with families that were willing to rent out a room to him. For money, he would find small jobs in taverns, fields, shops, or even a few times, he was hired to house sit while the owners went out of town for a week or two. Once, he was paid to act as a bodyguard of sorts while escorting a man from one village to the next.

He wasn’t sure what the deal was with _that_ particular job, but money was money, and he figured, so long as he got paid, he wouldn’t ask questions.

Then there were the _other_ jobs.

Jobs that included, thefts, setups, or even threats…

As concerning at it sounds, the demon had also been offered a job once or twice to assassinate a particular target, but he always turned those down.

Murders reminded him of his old job as a soul collector, and he preferred to leave that in his past for as long as he could…until someone found him and dragged him by the tail back to the inferno…

No; murders, tortures and rapes (there was a concerning about of angry ex-lovers willing to go that far to get back at their ex-wives or lady friends) were some of the things even a demon like Sartael had to turn down.

That’s not to say that there _weren’t_ demons that wouldn’t take the job in a heartbeat, but luckily Sartael wasn’t one of them.

The farthest he ever went were the times he was hired to rough up some poor schmuck that had somehow gotten himself deep into dept with the wrong people who were getting impatient for their pay back.

Why anyone would hire Sartael (or ‘Itzal’, as he called himself) for that sort of task was beyond him.

He wasn’t the biggest, or strongest or even the most intimidating ‘man’ out there, but apparently, there was still something that drew sinners to him.

Perhaps, it was the aura he projected, or the way he looked; black hair that touched his shirt collar, and bangs that parted at the middle and framed his brows. He even let a beard and mustache grow out, though he kept those trimmed short.

Over all, he didn’t see his own appeal, and he could only assume that word would get out that he was a nomad in need of work, and the humans must have figured that he would be desperate enough for money that he would agree to the job.

And, save for a few instances, he would.

But that didn’t mean he was proud of his work or anything.

In Hell, he _despised_ having to punish the souls that condemned themselves to eternal punishment, and yet…he still did it. _Because it was his job_.

He did it only because he _had_ to, and now it seemed that his profession had followed him into the mortal realm, despite his natural reluctance to do so.

With all this in mind, it was always a relief when he was offered an innocent job that _didn’t_ involve violence or deception, such as this particular job which had simply involved gathering hay into bundles and loading it into the old man’s cart. It was a lot of labor, but overall, Sartael considered it one of his easiest pays, especially since the rest of his job consisted of him watching over the elder’s property while he and a couple of other men left to drop off the load several villages over.

Said old man tucked his cloth away and looked down the road, “Well, I’d better get going. The nearest village is about a day’s trip but if I’m lucky, I’ll make it there by night fall.” He nodded at another man, his son, who nodded back in confirmation. He looked back at Sartael, “You remember all my instructions?”

Sartael nodded, “Yes sir.”

“And you know how to work the equipment?”

“Yes sir.” _Of course_ he knew how to work the tools. He didn’t need to be a genius to maintain the crops.

The older man’s smile grew and he patted the demon on the shoulder, “Good. Well…you know where everything is. The money’s on the kitchen table. You can pick it up when you finish here- don’t forget to lock up before you go!” He instructed as he began to climb up on the cart’s seat, his son rushing to help him.

“Understood.” Sartael answered as he took the horses reins and handed them to his employer.

“Good lad.” The elder beamed. He moved over as his son sat himself next to him on the small bench. The two other hired men mounted their horses and started down the path.

Sartael stepped back as to allow the cart access to the path.

“We’ll be back next week! Take care!” The old man said as the cart moved past the demon and followed after the other men.

Sartael gave a small wave as she watched the group move away. He watched them for a while before turning and making his way back to the old man’s home.

He entered, and sure enough, his advanced pay was laying in a sack at the center of the kitchen table. He opened the bag and looked over the contents.

This would definitely last him a good while.

He closed the bag and reached for his own satchel. He dropped the bag of money in it before slinging it over his shoulder and leaving the house, making sure to lock up as promised. If he was getting paid _this_ well, he was going to make _damn_ sure everything went smoothly while his ‘boss’ was away.

He adjusted his bag and made his way back to the cottage he was staying at.

As he walked, he noticed the various other workers in the surrounding fields watching him as he passed by. Several of the people actually narrowed their eyes in suspicion, or tensed as he approached. One man looked like he was ready to challenge Sartael then and there.

The demon rolled his eyes at the notion of a human actually coming at him.

He may have been weak all those years ago when the Blacksmith pulled a cheap shot on him with the chickpeas, but after spending twelve years defending himself on his own, he liked to think that he had grown stronger since the last time these foolish peasants encountered him.

That’s not to say he’s bulked up or anything, it just means that he’s learned a thing a two during those times he ran with the tougher crowd.

Apparently, he was _very_ good at intimidation now.

As if to make his point, he threw a glare at the middle-aged farmer who shrunk back at the unknown man’s harsh gaze.

Sartael practically smirked at his reaction. ‘That’s what I thought.”

The man’s sudden submission seemed to have a chain reaction as everyone soon went back to work, and Sartael was able to continue on his way in peace, though he could still feel their judgmental gaze on his back.

Not that he cared.

Let them judge and that what they want. It wasn’t like he was going to be there long anyway. The longest he stayed in one place was about a month or so (his record was two and a half months) and then he was off again, forever trying to throw off any demonic search parties that could be looking for him…if anyone was even looking for him in the first place.

Sartael kicked a pebble out of his way.

He didn’t even want to be here…not really…

For obvious reasons, he avoided this village like the plague, but recently, he had been feeling the urge to check up on that little girl…Usue.

The demon glanced at the nearby village.

The child was an interesting piece of work, and despite how she had treated him during their first moments together, he was surprised to find himself in her debt.

He _owed_ her for granting him his freedom, and though he technically _did_ repay her by going into Hell and helping with the rescue and then scaring the villagers shitless, he still felt that it was part of his duty to check on her at least once…if only to make sure his threat held up and she was being treated right.

Sartael frowned at the thought of that delusional priest. He had hurt her, that much he knew. She told him the night of her rescue.

By now, she would be a young woman and may or may not still be under their guardianship. If she was, he hoped the old man remembered his words, and if she _wasn’t_ …well…hopefully she found herself a better life being courted or… _whatever_ it was that young humans partook in.

‘Hopefully she kept her end of the bargain and didn’t go off and make any more deals with demons.’ He thought as he arrived at his destination.

His choice of stay was a relatively well-kept bungalow located near the village border, but was still close enough to town that the walk to and from the establishment wasn’t anything to complain about. The owners, a friendly if not, odd sort of couple, had agreed to rent out their spare room to the ‘young man’ for a rather low price, and while he was grateful that they had done so, he couldn’t help but be curious and a bit suspicious of the two.

They seemed normal enough, but there was just something off about them, especially since they kept a particular room in their house locked and insisted that he not go into that he not try to enter it.

Normally, he would understand this request if it had been their own bedroom, but…it wasn’t…

If anything, they usually left their door wide open when it was unoccupied, and by what Sartael had seen, it was a very basic looking room with nothing out of the ordinary.

Despite this, Sartael still felt somewhat uneasy about what the couple could be hiding in their other spare room, especially when they themselves gave off strange vibes.

Something about their aura felt vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it…

Shaking his head, he pulled out the spare key they had given him, and he entered the home.

The first thing he noticed was the elderly man, Phineas, sitting at the small kitchen table reading a book. What _looked_ like a cup of tea rested next to him, but to Sartael, it didn’t smell like _any_ tea that he knew. The scent was too bitter…

“Back so soon?” Phineas greeted with a small smile.

Sartael nodded, and despite the smell that emitted from the cup, he took a seat across from the elder.

“Lorenzo and his boys took off not long ago. I figured I’d call it a day and just go in early tomorrow and take care of what needs to be taken care of.” The demon’s eyes roamed over to the drink near Phineas, “What are you drinking?”

Phineas shook his head dismissively as he picked up his cup, “Oh…just a tea Nora made.” He took a sip. The tiny cringe did not go unnoticed by the demon.

“Could use a little honey?” Sartael suggested as he leaned back in his seat. It was a futile attempt to get away from the odor that was currently assaulting his keen nose.

Phineas shook his head again, “No…it has to be drunk as is.”

“Hm.” Sartael couldn’t hide his disgust any longer, and despite himself, he cringed his nose, earning a chuckle from the other man.

“It’s not _that_ bad.” Phineas swallowed the remaining liquid in one large gulp. He gave a large shudder as he put the cup back down. Seeing Sartael staring at him with raised brows, he laughed again, “I stand corrected…it _is_ bad.”

“Then why drink it?” Sartael could understand it was probably because the old man didn’t want to offend his wife by not drinking her apparently, poorly made tea, but _come on_. Surly he could have just dumped the drink outside and lied about consuming it instead of torturing himself by drinking something that he clearly didn’t like. But that was just his opinion…

Phineas pushed the empty mug away, “Because it’s necessary…health wise. It gives me the energy I need.” He explained with a wave of his hand.

Sartael gave a slow nod.

That explained things…sort of…

“I suppose if it works…”

“Believe it or not, it actually does.” Phineas assured with a patient smile.

The two fell into silence as the old man looked back down at his book.

“Where’s Nora?” Sartael asked, finally noticing that the old woman was nowhere to be seen.

“She’s working.” The old man answered with a jerk of his head in the forbidden room’s direction.

Sartael glanced over with a frown. _Of course_.

Nora, Phineas’ wife, was really good with her hands, and spent most of her time working on various crafts and then selling them in the village.

Sartael had seen her work, and he didn’t doubt that it would take hours of labor to complete her pieces, hence why she was usually locked in her room, but something still told him that there was something else going on in that room. The strange smells didn’t help matters, but Sartael didn’t want to upset the people that readily loaned out a room for cheap, and thus made sure to not pry _too_ much.

By the looks of it, he probably would never know what went on in there, and it was probably for the best.

“Have you taken a look around the village?”

Sartael jumped at the sudden question, and he turned his attention back to Phineas, “What?”

“I asked if you’ve had a chance to explore the village.” The old man repeated.

The demon shook his head, “I’ve gone in a couple of times, but I haven’t actually taken a good look around.” He usually worked throughout the day, and when he finished, it was already getting late, and the only thing he wanted to do was get into bed and sleep. He figured that since he was going to be there a while, there was no rush to look around and search for Usue. He had plenty of time to do that later.

As it was, he still needed to plan how he was going to approach her when and _if_ he found her. The last thing he wanted was to take her by surprise with his sudden appearance.

While he mused this over, Phineas spoke up once more, “Why not take advantage of your free time and take a look around? You’re going to be here for a while, so it wouldn’t hurt to familiarize yourself with the area and let the villagers get used to seeing you around.” He advised as he closed his book.

Sartael pursed his lips in thought.

Maybe once the humans became accustomed to seeing his face, they would drop their suspicions, and he could move around freely without feeling like some stray animal that should be avoided.

“When you put it that way…I guess it would hurt to walk around for a bit.” He admitted.

Phineas’ grin grew, “That’s the spirit!”

Sartael stood and Phineas did the same. The old man walked around the table and placed a hand on the young demon’s back and led him to the door, “And don’t be afraid to make friends! There are plenty of young folk in town around your age.”

Sartael furrowed his brow.

Oookay…

“…We’ll see what comes of this day. I’m not really good at making friends…” the demon argued gently.

Phineas simply laughed at patted his back just as they reached the door, “That’s what everyone says and they always end up surprising themselves.” He opened the door and led the demon out.

“If you say so…” Sartael said in defeat. By now, he was more suspicious as to why the human seemed in a hurry to get him out if the house all of sudden. And what was it with his insistence of Sartael making friends?

He mentally shrugged. Typical humans, being weird as always.

“I’ll be back later this evening…I guess.” He said as she obediently made his way down the narrow pathway that led away from the cottage.

“We’ll save you some dinner for when you get back!” Phineas called out with a small wave.

Sartael returned the gesture before turning and continuing on his way.

Phineas watched him for a second before briefly closing the door. He turned to see his wife standing a small ways off, just out of sight of the entrance.

“Did you send him to the village?” she asked as she wiped her hands on her apron.

Phineas nodded with a sigh, “Yes. Now it’s just a matter of him finding her.”

Nora nodded and walked over to the table, picking up the mug her husband had been drinking from, “How are you feeling? Do you need anymore?” she asked, shaking the cup in her hand.

“No, no! I’m fine! I’ve had enough!” he answered a bit too quickly.

Nora merely smirk as she left to wash the empty mug.

** In town **

It was a couple of hours later that Sartael found himself wishing he hadn’t relented to the old man and had instead insisted that he wanted to catch up on his sleep instead.

It had been twelve years since his last visit, and Sartael found that the town’s residents hadn’t changed a bit.

It wasn’t unusual to hear the usual gossip or talk of superstitions in small villages, but in _this_ particular town, that seemed to be the only thing the humans talked about.

There were rumors of possible witchcraft taking place, and how the town may have even been cursed thanks to the demons that had visited the village over a decade ago. This was seen as the reason why it was so hard to grow hardly anything in the fields.

Sartael scoffed to himself at that notion.

 He and Alastor had nothing to do with the town’s lack of crops. If the fault were to be laid on anyone, it would have to be laid on the town’s founders for settling in such a poor location.  

‘Leave it to humans to blame demons for _all_ of their misery.’ Sartael thought bitterly.

_‘I didn’t mean to steal! The demons told me to do it!’_

_‘I didn’t want to kill him! I was possessed! The demon made me do it!’_

_‘Oh, we’re going through a rough, dry season? The demons must_ _be the cause of it.’_

Sartael growled lowly.

While it was true that demons _could_ be the source of some of these occurrences, they couldn’t be blamed for _every_ stroke of bad luck, nor was it fair to receive the blame for some human’s stupid decision.

‘That’s probably why they enter Hell so willingly. They can’t help but _let_ the guilt consume them.’ The demon mused as he bit into an apple he had purchased earlier, his chocolate brown eyes gazing at the passing villagers as he ate.

Of course, there was always the possibility that Alastor _did_ have something to do with this town’s famine…

Perhaps he had managed to get in touch with Pazuzu and asked him to bombard the village with famine just to spite the village and maybe even get back at a certain young girl for making a fool of him.

Sartael wouldn’t put it past Alastor to do something like that.

But if that _was_ the case, then worst was yet to come for the villagers, because Alastor didn’t play to get even. He played to _win._

Sartael frowned as he took another bite. ‘For their sake, these peasants better hope this is just a stroke of bad luck rather than a demon interfering with their harvest.’ He thought.

“-witches are known t be close allies with the demons, and since you helped that one, it’s understandable why people would jump to that conclusion.”

“And yet you don’t do anything to dispel them of that assumption?”

Sartael’s ear twitched ever so slightly at the sound of the arguing couple, and he brought the apple away from his face, no longer interested in taking another bite.

What was that they were saying about witches and demons?

He turned his head and caught sight of the young couple’s backs as they continued down the road in the direction of the village church. He could barely make out the rest of the conversation as they moved away.

“I do! It’s just…they aren’t easy to convince and they tend to stick to what they believe.”

“And what about the other rumors? The ones I claim-”

That was all that Sartael could pick up on their debate as they finally moved out of hearing range.

He wanted to follow them and continue eavesdropping, but he doubt it would look good if the suspicious stranger was spotted following after a couple of resident youngsters. Plus, if they really were heading to the church, he wouldn’t have been able to follow them much anyway, what with him being unable to step on holy ground…

None the less, their choice of discussion was certainly interesting and he bit his apple in thought.

‘Witches and demons…how odd…’ he mused as he chewed. Obviously, the talk of the town, but the girl was _accused_ of dabbing into the occult? Was that what she was implying? Was she a witch? Had she gotten in contact with a demon? If so, _who_?

No longer hungry, Sartael tossed away the rest of his apple and looked around. He perked when he caught sight of a dingy tavern sandwiched between two equally grimy shops.

Normally, Sartael wasn’t big on drinking, but it didn’t hurt indulge on human pleasure every so often, especially after a hard day’s work, and he did find bars to be a nice place to think things over…so long as no one bothered him and tried to strike up a conversation with him.

The thought of a cheap pint was too tempting, and Sartael found himself moving towards the tavern.

‘So long as I keep to myself, it’ll be fine.’ He assured himself.

** 1 Hour later **

It was _not_ fine.

As soon as Sartael had stepped foot into the bar, all conversation had ceased and all eyes landed on the demon in disguise.

Said demon had wanted nothing more than to say ‘forget it’ and bolt out of there, but his dignity made him continue forward and approached the counter where the bartender and apparent owner eyed him warily.

Feeling more uneasy by the second, Sartael quickly made his order, a simple pint of beer, before swiftly making his way over to an unoccupied table in the secluded corner, and there he sat, sipping at his drink.

An hour into his visit, the other patrons had long ago gone back to their own conversations, but every so often, they would cast glances in the demon’s direction before turning away and talking in hushed voice.

Sartael looked down into his cup.

It truly was like he was in Hell all over again…hearing the hushed whispers of those talking about him behind his back. In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised if the demons back home were talking about him _right now_ , and Alastor was probably the one that was feeding the flames and keeping any and all gossip about Sartael going.

What’s more, is that Alastor was probably lobbying to have Sartael punished for his treachery, and being Hell’s Grand Executioner, Satan would grant Alastor permission to do whatever he pleased with Hell’s ‘biggest disgrace’.

‘ _Asshole_.’ Sartael thought as he down the remainder of his second drink, a shot of adrenaline coursing though him as he silently insulted one of Hell’s most feared demons. He just wished he had enough courage to do so out loud. Usue had done so, and she had been a child at the time. She had even managed to bring the arch-demon to his knees in front of dozens of cowering souls.

Sartael smirked at the memory. ‘Served him right.’ He thought as he brought his mug down onto the round table. A second later, a third mug was placed in front of him. He looked up and saw the bartender/owner staring down at him.

“You haven’t closed your tab.” The other man explained.

Sartael nodded, “Thank you, but I think this will be my last one.” He reached into the small pouch he kept tied to his belt and pulled out a handful of assorted coins and counted out what he owed before sliding the money in the owner’s direction. “I believe this is what I owe...”

The man counted the currency, “Yeah this covers it.” He confirmed as he dropped the change into his pocket, then to Sartael’s surprise, he pulled up a chair and sat across from the demon.

“Mind if I join you?” he asked.

Sartael shrugged, “What can I say? You already sat down.”

The man gave a soft snort. He couldn’t blame the stranger’s obvious sass.

“You mind if I stay?” he tried.

Sartael shrugged again, “If you must. I assume there’s something you want.” He eyed the owner expectantly.

The barkeeper gave a chuckle as he looked down and fiddled with his fingers, “You caught me,” he admitted, locking eyes with the demon, “I’m just looking for some answers.” As he said this, several other men approached the table and lingered behind the man.

“Answers?” Sartael repeated as he eyed the new arrivals warily. What kind of ‘answers’ were these people looking for?

The owner nodded, “We just have a few questions to ask-”

“To get to know you better!” one of the other men chimed in. The other’s nodded in agreement.

“Alright…?” Sartael answered, still a bit unsure about the whole situation. What kind of questions would they be asking?

Seeing the younger man’s unease, the owner put up a hand, “It’s just to put us,” he motioned to himself and to the various other bar patrons, “at ease. We had a…an _interesting_ encounter with a visitor several years ago that didn’t go to well.”

Sartael tensed, having an idea on what ‘encounter’ they were talking about. “Well…that’s unfortunate. Ask away then.” He leaned forward and folded his arms on the table, doing his best to look nonchalant, but ready to bullshit should he need to.

The owner adjusted himself in his seat before launching into the interrogation, “So…you got a name?”

“Itzal.” Sartael answered automatically. He was met with a prodding look, “Sanchez.” He finished.

The barkeep nodded and was about to continue when the demon interrupted him, “And you?” he pried.

If he had to give out his name, it was only fair he got the name of his interrogator in return.

Not to mention, it was plain common curtsey.

The man in question seemed to have realized his small blunder in manners and promptly introduced himself, “Oh right; I’m Santi and these blockheads are Miguel and Nestor.” He jerked his head in the men’s’ direction as he mentioned them respectively.

Sartael eyed the two men closest to Santi, but made no other move to acknowledge them further, and likewise, the two men continued to glower down at him.

Sensing the growing tension, Santi continued, “Moving on; Where are you from?”

“Salamanca.” Sartael had to hold back a smirk. Even after spending so much time on Earth, it still felt so weird to lie about his origin when he was so used to having to assure humans that he _did_ in fact come from Hell.

“Salamanca?” Santi repeated with raised brows, “You’re a little far from home.”

“I’m traveling the country.” Was the response.

“And why here? What business do you have in this town?” One of the men, Miguel, prodded.

“None. I just happened across your town and decided to settle here for a while before continuing on my way.”

“How long is a ‘while’?” Nestor asked.

“About a month or so and then I’ll be moving on to whatever town the road leads me.”

“So, you’re a wanderer?” Santi guessed.

Sartael nodded, “Yes.”

Miguel narrowed his eyes, “Why? You on the run or something?”

‘If only you knew…’ Sartael thought before quickly shaking his head, “No, no. I’m just trying to see as much of the world as I can while I’m still young.”

“And work?” Santi pressed, “How do you manage to fund your…travels?”

“I pick up small odd jobs during my stay in whatever village I’ve found myself in.”

“What about _before_ your explorations? Did you by any chance hold any sort of position working with the government?” Nestor enquired; his eyes hard.

Sartael furrowed his brows, genuinely confused. _Technically_ , he did use to work for a supernatural government of sorts, but if the looks he was receiving were anything to go by, it would probably be best to not even _hint_ at working under any administrations.

Instead, he opted to do what he did best. Lie.

“…No…I actually I used to work in a shop that closed down shortly before I left.” He gave a small smile, “That was one of the pushing factors that led to my decision to travel.”

This seemed to satisfy the men as they all visibly relaxed at his claim.

“I take it that you’re not a fan of the government or it’s officials?” he guessed as he finally took a sip of his third drink.

The men shared a look before Santi shook his head, “It’s… _complicated_.”

Sartael’s curiosity peaked.  “How so? If you don’t mind me asking…”

The men looked between each other once more before Miguel spoke up, “We’ve never been a fan of the government…not since the end of the war.” He started.

Nestor picked up where his friend left off, “It was about twelve years ago when a ‘government official’ came to town looking for our blacksmith and…well…” he looked over at Miguel, the only other soul witness to what he had seen that night in the blacksmith’s home.

“He wasn’t _exactly_ what he said he was.” Miguel finished.

Sartael froze, knowing exactly _what_ the men were talking about. None the less, he continued to play dumb, “What do you mean?”

This time, it was Santi that spoke up, “Where do you stand on the topic of religion?”

Well… _that_ was an ironic question…

Sartael shifted in his seat as he thought of a suitable answer, “I…I don’t partake in any religion.” He answered.

The men blinked.

“So, you’re a non-believer?” Nestor inquired.

Sartael shrugged and Miguel piped up, “You don’t believe in God or the Devil, or _anything_?”

The men were met with another shrug, and they shared a unimpressed glance. It would seem that Itzal was one of _those_ types of people.

“So, I take it you don’t believe in demons either.” Santi guessed with a raised brow.

‘Far from it.’ Sartael thought, but settled for leaning back in his seat with his arms crossed, “I’m not denying their existence, I’m just saying that I don’t follow anyone.” 

Santi leaned forward, “And I assume it’s because you’ve never seen proof of either existing. Am I right?” He had heard about the rising number of people that were starting to doubt the existence of God and the Devil and how they were insisting that neither Heaven or Hell even existed.

Hell, even new combers and travelers had a hard time believing the stories of the demons that had walked among them all those years ago. Those that followed the faith would laugh it off as being _too_ outlandish to happen in this day and age, and the doubters of the religion would usually scoff and roll their eyes while chastising the story teller for making up such ridiculous stories in an ‘attempt’ to convert them into the church. Then there were others that had mixed reactions and weren’t sure whether or not to actually believe the multiple accounts.

Now, Santi was sure that this young man would probably fall under the latter, but it didn’t hurt to share their story anyway and see how this new comber reacted.

Sartael however, was growing more uneasy with where this conversation was going.

The last thing was wanted was to be reminded of _that_ night’s events told from an ignorant human’s perspective.

He wanted to argue that Santi had it all wrong, but the older man spoke up once more, “What if I told you that our tale was witness not only by a few, but by nearly the whole village?”

“And what exactly did you see?” Sartael asked uneasily.

“Demons.” Santi replied lowly.

“ _Demons_?” Sartael repeated in the best skeptical voice he could muster.

Nestor nodded, “ _Two_ of them! The so-called government official was one of them disguised as a human!”

“There was also a smaller one shackled in a cage in the smithy!” Miguel added.

Sartael mentally cringed at the memory. _Of course,_ that’s how they remembered him…

The demon looked back at Santi, “You saw them too?”

“I saw the small one. Nestor and Miguel saw the larger one.” He answered.

Yes, Sartael remembered the looks on the two men’s faces when Alastor’s disguise began to slip after Usue rang the blessed hand bell.

“Our local priest saw the big one too!” Nestor added, “He said it took a child to Hell!”

_‘The other demon took the little girl!’_

Sartael remembered that as well.

He also remembered how Usue told him that it was the _priest_ that told her she should go to Hell…

The old fool better hope that God would have mercy on him, because if Sartael found out that he was still abusing the poor girl even _after_ his threat…

“-And then after that, the small one brought back the child and then he threatened the entire village before bounding off into the forest!”

Sartael blinked when he realized that the men were still recounting what happened that night.

“And everyone saw this… _demon_?” he reiterated skeptically.

Miguel and Nestor nodded enthusiastically, “Yes!”

Sartael scoffed, and Santi lifted his chin, “You don’t believe us.” He saw this coming.

“I just think it’s beyond far-fetched, and I’m sorry to say, but I’m having a hard time taking your word for it.” Sartael took another swig of his beer.

“Then how do you explain all the witnesses?” Miguel challenged.

“Mass hysteria. Perhaps you all _thought_ you saw a demon, but maybe it was your minds playing games with you. How long ago did this happen?”

 “Twelve years.” Santi answered.

Sartael shrugged and held up his hands as if to say ‘well, there you go’.

“But we saw him!” Nestor argued, “He had red skin and horns, and a long tail and everything!” By now, the man’s voice was raising in excitement, and Santi had to hold a hand up to silence him.

“It’s fine Nestor. We’re not here to force him to believe our story. We know what’s real and what happened.” He turned his attention back to the demon sitting across from him, and addressed him once more, “This story just serves as the reason why we don’t trust newcomers to this town.”

“Because someone deceived you.” Sartael finished. He could understand why they would be reluctant to trust new people, but damn if it wasn’t bothersome to be evaluated so intently by mere humans.

Sure, he was usually met with some sort of distrust, but never to this extent.

Santi shifted and leaned forward, “You have to underst-”

“Dad!”

The men all turned to the entrance and saw a young man abut ‘Itzal’s’ age enter the tavern.

Santi lifted his arm, and the boy swiftly made his way to their table. As he arrived, Santi stood up and wrapped an arm around the newcomer, “Benito, I want you to meet Itzal. He’s passing through, but he’ll be staying here for a few weeks for the time being.” Santi glanced down at Sartael and motioned to Benito, “Itzal, this is my son, Benito.”

The two youngsters reached out and shook hands in greeting.

“So…you’re the new guy everyone’s talking about.” Benito noted with a small smile that even Sartael could see through.

“I guess I am.” He snarked back with a smirk of his own.

Benito simply replied with a soft “Hm.”

“Benito,” Santi continued, “helps me man the counter, which leads me to ask; where have you been?” he furrowed his brows at his son.

Benito gave a sheepish grin, “I…I was out helping Usue with her chores.”

Sartael sat up in his seat, though the action went unnoticed.

So Usue _was_ still in town.

She was here, and by the sound of it, she had a friend that helped her around town.

He cast his eyes back on the young man and that’s when it hit him…

 _This_ was the boy he heard arguing with the girl earlier that day…

Was _that_ Usue?

Was _she_ the suspected witch of the village? Why were people accusing her of witchcraft? Was she actually partaking in the dark arts?

She better _not_ be. Not after everything she had gone through.

And what’s more, she gave him her word that she wouldn’t mess with that sort of crap…

‘ _Damn girl.’_ He hissed to himself before taking a subtle, calming breath. He had to keep his cool, least his disguise slipped and gave himself away to the already wary, superstitious townsfolk.

Besides, it’s not like he was sure it was Usue he had seen Benito with walking down the road. He had seen her from the back and never got a good look at her face, and since he had yet to hear her adult voice, he couldn’t say for certain it was her.

How he wanted to ask Benito if the girl he was quarreling with was Usue, but he got the feeling that the father wouldn’t be too happy to hear that his son was in such a heated debate with a young woman. He also felt it would be weird to even bring up the fact that he had been watching and listening in on their conversation, especially since it was none of his business.

The best course of action would be to question Benito in private.

With that resolution, Sartael tuned back into the pointless conversation Santi was having with his son, “And your mother? Where has she been?”

Benito swept his gaze around the room, making sure that his mother wasn’t anywhere in the vicinity before leaning towards his father, “She’s ranting with her friends. She had a little quarrel with Usue a couple of hours ago.” He sent a look at Sartael, clearly not comfortable with discussing this sort of thing in front of a man he didn’t even know.

Santi, either not realizing or not caring that he had an audience, merely mumbled, “Of course she did. She’s got nothing better to do than to harass that poor girl.” He looked to his two friends, “I better go check on her and see if I can calm her down.” He patted his son’s shoulder, “You’re in charge, go man the counter.” He instructed as he gave Benito a small push in the bar’s direction.

Sartael perked as Santi left, and for a brief second, he thought he had been handed his chance to talk to Benito one on one, only for Nestor and Miguel to plant themselves in the empty seats at his table, both obviously intending to carry on further conversation. He looked over at the counter and saw that Benito was already talking to a group of other men his age.

So much for _that_ plan…

It looked like he was going to have to wait on getting his own answers.

Sighing in defeat, Sartael settled back in his seat and grabbed his mug again.

Nestor and Miguel motioned to Benito for some drinks of their own before turning back to the demon, ready for some light hearted conversation.

The young man was quick to bring over their drinks.

“So,” Miguel started casually after a sip, “You do a lot of traveling right? You ever traveled out of the country?”

** Several Hours later **

Nestor and Miguel stumbled out of the bar, clinging to each other in their drunken stupor, hiccupping as they went.

Sartael followed close behind, watching the humans as they struggled to stand upright.

Now could have been the perfect time to talk to Benito, but as the evening wore on the pub got more crowded and as a result, Benito soon found himself swamped, and between filling the incoming orders and mingling with his friends, Sartael could see that the young boy would have no interest in sparing him any time for a chat, no matter how quick.

That was fine with Sartael, as he was more than ready to leave the mediocre watering hole.

It was bad enough that he had to disguise himself as a human for hours at a time; what was worse, was that he had to spend half of that time stuck in a dark, smelly and crowded pub with humans that grew more and more intoxicated by the minute.

He couldn’t wait till he got back to the privacy of his room where he could drop his disguise and just relax in his natural form for the night. He was certainly aching to let his tail swing loose…

A loud hiccup brought him out of his brooding, “Wow! It-* _hic*_ -zal…h-how _*hic*_ how are y-you able to…to…uh… _*hic*_ ” Nestor droned off as he leaned against the wall.

“How come you’re not _*hic*_ drunk?” Miguel finished.

As it turned out, Sartael ended up drinking a couple more mugs of beer, all paid for by his two new somewhat ‘friends’.

Had he been a regular human, he would have been just as smashed as his companions, but being a demon, it would take a _much_ larger intake of alcohol to make him feel any sort of affects. It was just another perk of being an immortal, supernatural being.

No illnesses, no diseases, and a higher tolerance to hefty intakes of alcohol.

But of course, he wasn’t going to tell the human’s that, whether they were stupid drunk or not.

“I just have a natural tolerance of alcohol. Most of my family can hold their drinks without feeling any strong effects, but I’m sure if I had a few more, I’d be just as intoxicated as you two.” He supplied, smirking at the gawking men.

“Lucky bas _*hic*_ tard.” Miguel grumbled as he struggled to keep Nestor from slinking to the ground.

“Are you sure you don’t need help getting home?” Sartael offered.

Miguel shook his head, “No…we’ll manage…” he heaved, but then relaxed as whatever was about to come up, went back down, much to Sartael’s relief.

He had offered to escort them home several times, but the humans repeatedly denied his offer, stating that this wasn’t anything new, and they always found their way home without a problem.

This worked out for Sartael as it meant he didn’t have to worry about someone losing their lunch in front of him.

 “If you say so.” He relented.

Nestor put a hand up as Miguel led him away, “We’ll _*hic*_ see you later!” He bid farewell as he faltered down the road in what Sartael guessed was the direction of his home.

As soon as they turned a corner and were out of sight, he sighed a breath of relief and leaned himself against the wall of a nearby building. He stared up at the sky for a moment before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small cigar as well as his pack of matches. After an attempt or two, he was able to light his stoogie and took a deep puff before exhaling a large cloud of smoke. He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes, enjoying his fix.

Again, it was times like this he was _glad_ he was a demon and could actually intake this sort of substances without fear of getting sick.

 _Humans_ on the other hand, didn’t seem to realize how fragile they were.

‘Reckless fools.’ He thought as he brought his cigar to his lips again.

He had just brought it down when the soft sound of footsteps reached his ears. He turned his head to see a young woman standing not far from him and just staring at him like a child that had been caught in the act of doing something wrong.

He blew out his smoke and spoke, “It’s getting a little late to be wondering by yourself, don’t you think?”

With night quickly approaching and the human males growing more intoxicated by the second, Sartael would have thought the last thing a young female would do was to wonder around by herself and put herself in a dangerous situation.

Even in Hell, the demonesses tended to stick in groups in an attempt to ward off any male demon’s that were feeling a little… _needy._

He looked over the girl and saw that while she had her shawl pulled tightly around her, he could still see that the black dress underneath was scandalously short…at least in human terms, it was raunchy.

Female demons wore less while some wore nothing…

Her hair was worn down and reached just past her shoulders, but she wore no bandana, which was a rare sight in the village. Clutched tightly in her hand was a sack, which she maneuvered behind her when she caught sight of him eyeing it.

He huffed and brought his cigar to his mouth again.

“I’m just going for a quick walk.”

‘Well no shit.’ Sartael thought, “A walk?”

The girl gave a single nod, “Yes.”

“ _Alone_?”

The girl remained silent and simply stared at him in defiance, as if challenging him to do something. Beneath her tough façade though, he could see and _smell_ the fear radiating off her.

He didn’t blame her. A pretty young woman like herself was the perfect target for predators.

Having dealt with rapists in Hell, Sartael can easily say that their number one excuse was that their victims ‘deserved it’ because they were ‘flaunting around’ in revealing clothes. And that wasn’t taking into account the female offenders on male victims, but that was a whole _other_ story.

Right now though, he had to find out what this crazy human was up to, but if he was going to get any other answers from her, he was going to have to put her at ease first.

“I’m not going to try anything,” he started after blowing out his smoke, “I’m just wondering why a little girl is out wondering around by herself when she _should_ be inside doing whatever it is that little girls do during the evening.”

That seemed to do the trick as an offended look crossed her face, “I am _not_ a little girl!” she hissed, “I’m twenty years old!”

Sartael scoffed. That attitude seemed to say otherwise.

“That still sounds young to me.”

And compared to Sartael, twenty years was _nothing_ in terms of age.

By now, the girl was looking him over skeptically, “You’re one to talk! You look the same age as me!” she snapped.

Sartael almost laughed at the irony of the assumption, but he simply shook his head, “I’m older.”

“Maybe by a year or so.”

“Try _five._ ”

‘Hundred _…_ ish’ Sartael thought as he shifted his weight so that he was facing her full on.

Apparently, the girl didn’t see that as a large difference, and she told him so.

“It may not be much,” the demon smirked as he tossed down his cigar and snuffed it out, “but it still means that I’ve got five more years of experience than you.”

‘More experience than you can even imagine.’

The girl locked eyes with him, “Mature. Right. I mean it certainly explains why you’re standing out here arguing with a younger woman.” Then, to Sartael’s surprise, she marched up to him, her blue eyes flashing in defiance, “If you’re so tough and smart, why don’t you go share your ‘experience’ with the other men _your_ age.” She jerked her head in the pub’s direction. “ _Grow up._ ” She hissed before storming past him.

Sartael blinked before narrowing his eyes as she effectively ended their conversation. He hadn’t expected her to retaliate so strongly, nor did he count on her leaving without providing more answers.

The whole ‘grow up’ comment was pointless to him as he had several centuries on her, and if anyone needed some ‘growing up’ it was _her_.

He continued to glare after her as she made her way down the road that led out of the village. He furrowed his brow in confusion.

‘Why is she leaving? Is she _really_ going to walk around the woods in the dark?’ Now he was _really_ concerned and curious as to what she could be doing under the cover of darkness _away_ from the village.

He remained stoic as she sent him a final glare before turning and dashing out of view.

Sartael stared after her, and after a moment or two, he pushed himself off the wall he had been leaning on, and followed in the direction the girl had ran off in, her scent leading the way.

** Moments later **

Sartael paused and sniffed at the air, turning his head as he tried to pick up the strange girl’s scent. He had been tracking her for the past half hour, and he was now starting to regret letting her get that head start as it seemed that she knew these woods well and was able to maneuver through them quickly despite the fact that Sartael had followed her soon after her departure.

In short, he lost her.

He huffed and closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, focusing on the scents of the forest. There was the obvious distinct odors of the various plants and animals as well as the smell of the drying creek. There were human scents present as well, most of them old and fading, though there were a few new ones.

Sartael took another deep whiff, focusing on the recent human scents and…there it was!

His eyes snapped open, and a triumphant smirk graced his lips. ‘Found her!’

He swiftly sauntered through the brush and past the trees, keeping an eye out for the mysterious human.

It didn’t take long till he found himself having to swiftly hide behind a tree. He peaked out around the trunk and saw the girl rooting around in what looked like a grave, or at the very least, a man-made chasm.

He hoped it was the latter…

But what could she be doing in there that _were_ the case? What was she hiding down there?

The answer came only a second later when she pushed up several large slabs of wood from the crater, followed by several more sacks that bulged with unknown materials, before she crawled out of the hole herself.

Sartael ducked behind the trunk just as the girl cast a look around, and by the time he looked around, she was busy dragging the slabs of wood into place and…oh by the tail of Belfegor…

Somebody _please_ tell him she wasn’t doing what he thought she was doing…

Sartael arched his neck to get a better view of the image the slabs formed when put together, and cringed when he saw the all too familiar pentagram surrounded by various other sigils.

The demon cringed as he watched the woman go about her business preparing the area for what he guessed was a summoning ritual.

‘This can’t be happening…’ he thought as she opened one of her books and flipped through the pages. If she successfully summoned a demon, it could mean bad news for Sartael, especially since he was right here in the vicinity that the other entity would be.

All the demon would have to do was take a whiff of the air and they would know that Sartael was nearby, and if Sartael’s haunch was correct, said demon would have no problem taking him back to Hell to face whatever punishment awaited him.

Even if he ran now, the demon could still hunt him down while sending for backup to find him sooner.

Sartael shuddered at the thought of a legion of demons searching the lands in search of him all because some… _witch_ decided that it would be a good idea to summon someone from the inferno for what could only be a selfish reason.

‘Damn witches.’ Sartael growled to himself as he tried to come up with a plan.

He didn’t want to just run out of the brush, screaming for her to stop. Sure it would be effective, but it also seemed like a sure-fire way to get stabbed in self-defense.

Not that he could blame her. He’d panic too if some strange man came running and screaming out of the foliage, making a beeline towards him…

Plan B; He _could_ make a calmer, more casual appearance and just pretend that he happened upon her, and hopefully, that would be enough to scare her and stop the ritual. If that wasn’t enough, a little black mail could also go a long way.

Sartael nodded to himself.

Yes…a threat could do the trick as he seriously doubt a lecture on the dangers of witchcraft would be enough to stop this and any future attempts.

He looked back around the tree, ready to put his plan into motioned, only blink in surprise.

The girl was looking around at her supplies, a frustrated look on her face.

“I should have just bought the damn chicken! The fox story might have even worked! _Stupid!_ ” she knocked a hand against her forehead in anger.

Sartael furrowed his brows, wondering what could have upset her so much. He cast his gaze over her supplies and noticed that while she had most of the needed materials, she was still missing the most important element needed for the summoning.

 _An offering_.

There was no sign of anything she could have used to summon…whoever the hell she was trying to beckon.

How _anyone_ could forget such a crucial part of the ritual was beyond him.

‘Must be a first timer.’ He thought with a triumphant smirk.

He was glad that the girl had been so absent minded as to forget her sacrifice, and he was extra pleased to see that she seemed to accept the events for what they were, and had gotten to work cleaning up the area.

The demon’s heart soared with relief as he came to the conclusion that there would defiantly _not_ be any dark rituals tonight, thus meaning, he was safe…for now…

He still had to ensure that she wouldn’t try this again. For all he knew, she could make another attempt tomorrow, while being better prepared.

Sartael’s eyes widened at the thought of having to go through all this again, and he shook his head.

He _wasn’t_ going to let her try again.

He was going to put a stop to it _now._

Resolution in mind, he cautiously stepped out from behind the tree and crept towards another, doing his best to step lightly as the woman continued to put away her supplies.

He was about half way to where she was located when the inevitable happened.

A loud snap echoed through the area, and he barley managed to duck down behind some large bushes as the girl straightened and looked around, wide eyed. Her eyes swept over him a few times, but the oncoming darkness seemed to have blended any outline he may have produced with the shadows of the surrounding foliage.

The sudden flutter of wings made both of them jump, and the girl whirled around to another tree where a raven sat perched on a low branch, watching her.

The girl stared at it, almost as if in a trance, and since she had her back to him, Sartael took advantage of the distraction, and continued to creep up on her, though much more cautiously this time.

Just as he reached the tree the girl had been sitting at, the raven looked over at him, and he froze, fearing that the woman would turn and see him before he could compose himself.

Luckily, before that could happen, the raven spread its wings and took off, making the girl flinch with a small squeak before giving a small laugh in relief. Then, with her back still to him, she bent down to retrieve one of her books.

This was when Sartael made his presence known.

“It’s not good for _little girls_ to be playing with witchcraft…” He announced.

The girl dropped her book and straightened, whirling around to face him.

This time, Sartael couldn’t stop the broad smirk that crossed his face as he took in her wide eyes and a gaped mouth.

“You look like a fish.” He teased as he stepped towards her.

The girl responded by taking a few steps back, “…what are you doing here?”

Sartael was sure that was supposed to come out more demanding, but her obvious shock made it sound well…less so. As if she knew that she had been caught and that there was no use fighting a pointless battle.

“I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Sartael lied, “A young woman out in the middle of the woods alone and at night well…I don’t know about you, but that sounds like you’re asking for trouble.” He cast his eyes over her makeshift altar, “But it seems to me that _you’re_ the one that’s making trouble.”

The girl’s face scrunched up in irritation, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?!”

“It means,” he stepped closer, and she stepped back, “That I think the rumors I’ve heard about a witch residing in the village are true.” Even in the darkness, Sartael could see her eyes widen in realization, “But I must admit, I could have sworn that someone else was the suspect.” He shrugged, “Doesn’t matter as I can’t say I’m not relieved it isn’t.”

The girl narrowed her eyes, “…Who did you _think_ was the culprit?” she asked hesitantly.

Sartael shook his head, “It doesn’t matter. What _does_ matter though is that I have all the proof I need if I wanted to convict you.”

The girl’s eyes widened, and even in the darkness, he could see the color drain from her face.

“You- You _wouldn’t_!” she whimpered.

“I would.” He quickly bent down and grabbed one of her discarded books, “Demonology huh?” he read out loud.

The girl lunged for him, “Give it back!”

Sartael sidestepped and took a few steps away, “That’s pretty dark stuff isn’t it?” he held the book up and out of her reach as she made another lunge.

“It’s not what you think!” The girl argued as she hopped around him.

“Oh, so you’re _not_ trying to summon a demon?” Sartael taunted in false realization, “That’s not what all this is for?”

The girl glared, “I’m not trying to hurt anyone!” she hissed as she tried to grab his arm, only for him to hold her back with his other hand while he held the book out and away from them, “This is for my own gain! If anyone is in jeopardy, it’s me, and that’s a risk I’m willing to take!”

Sartael shook his head as the girl continued to dance around him, “It doesn’t matter. You’re trying to make deals with the dark forces, and eventually, they’re going to hurt someone else.”

“I’m taking the necessary precautions to make sure nothing happens to anyone else.” She bit back.

Damn this girl was stubborn…

“I doubt that.” Sartael retorted, “You didn’t even bring the sacrifice. If you can’t even prepare for the ritual properly, how do you plan on protecting the village?”

“What-”

“Admit it. You don’t even _know_ what you’re doing.” Sartael’s smirk had returned. The girl stopped chasing him and merely glared at the demon, “But I’ll tell you what,” he started as he took a step towards the girl, “I’ll keep my mouth shut and forget I _ever saw anything_ , so long as you give me your word that you won’t mess with any of this occult crap. How does that sou- **AAH!** ”

Pain erupted in Sartael’s crotched, and before he could stop himself, he released the book in favor of grabbing his lower extremities and dropping down to his knees, leaning forward with a hiss.

“…crazy… _bitch…_ ” he wheezed out as he cradled his manhood.

It had happened so fast that there wasn’t even time to react. One second the girl was glaring up at him as he made his proposition then the next, she was slamming her fist into his gonads.

He glared up at her, “What…the _hell_..is your problem?!” he growled out, fighting to prevent his eyes from turning into their natural yellow color.

The girl held her own glare and kept her blue eyes locked on him as she bent down to retrieve her book, “I told you to give me my book back!”

“And for that you punch me in the balls?!” Screw formality. He was in pain and if he had to use crude language to show that he was, regardless if there was a woman present, then damn it, he was going to do so.

The girl brushed off some dirt from her book and frowned down at the man, her dark hair still framing her face, “It was also to get you to shut up and let me talk.” She answered.

What happened next, not even Sartael could have anticipated.

Just as the girl finished talking, she brushed her hair from her face and tucked it behind her ears.

First the right.

Then the left.

Sartael’s eyes widened as he saw the burn scar on her left cheek, and that’s when all the clues started to fit together.

The light blue eyes…oval face…light complexion…

And now that Sartael thought of it, even her voice matched the voice of the woman he had seen Benito with earlier that day.

The woman that Sartael had originally, and correctly, identified as Usue.

The demon’s mouth dropped agape as he gawked up at the woman before him, his mind racing at the new reveal.

“Usue…?”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * The idea of Sartael traveling around on the run while working small jobs was partially inspired by coxcomb (who is the author of the amazing Errementari fic "The sparrow still falls" check it out if you get the chance!), though the ending of the film does imply that that's what Sartael is fated to do as he has no intention of going back to Hell. There really is nothing else for Sartael to do other than to rebuild his life and hide from any demons searching for him. 
> 
> The difference between my theory and Coxcomb's is that I picture Sartael doing almost anything to make a living. That means while he tries to be helpful, there are still times that he takes on jobs that he isn't very proud of. Of course, that's not to say he doesn't have lines that shouldn't be crossed. 
> 
> None the less, a big thanks to Coxcomb for the inspiration! :)
> 
> * As for Sartael's human name, I figured he'd need an alias while dwelling among the humans, so after some research, I settled for "Itzal" which is supposed to be Basque for "Shadow". Pretty fitting for a demon that used to dwell in the underworld don't you think? ;)
> 
>  
> 
> * Face claims: for human Sartael, I thought i'd use Eneko Sagardoy, but i'm basing him in how he looked in 2014's "Sanctuary". 
> 
> For Usue, I imagine her adult self looking similar to Ursula Corbero, but with blue eyes and slightly longer hair. 
> 
> * Sartael's age: He's an immortal demon, so i imagine he's been around for a while. I guess five hundrend is an accurate guess as it's still young (compared to other demons who have been around for thousands of years...). 
> 
> * Also, look up Sartael on google images, and you'll find some behind the scene images of Sartael reclining in a chair while having a smoke, so i figured i'd incorpriate that into the fic and make him a smoker (I'm not a fan of the habit myself, but eh *shrug*). Of course, since he's an demon, he doesn't have to worry about any life threatening consequenses or other side effects. {Demon biology will be elxplored further as the story/series goes on}
> 
> *Oc: Oc's in this story so far include -  
> Lorenzo- Sartael's current employeer  
> Phineas- The owner of the house that Sartael is staying at.  
> Nora- The wife of Phineas


	3. Clearing things up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sartael confronts Usue about her life choices, while Usue sees a potential way out of town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was originally supposed to be a part of chapter two, but that chapter got a little long, and I had to spilt it in two, hence why this chapter is much shorter. The following chapters will be much longer. 
> 
> As always, read and enjoy, and kudos/comments are always welcome. :)

There were many things in her life that Usue could have never anticipated.

The loss of her mother and father.

Meeting the man that was _responsible_ for the deaths of her mother and father. 

Meeting actual demons from Hell.

 _Going_ to Hell.

Taking up the practice of witchcraft.

And now, _this_ …

Not only was it bad enough that she had gotten caught by a stranger, but now it seemed that the stranger knew her by _name_.

Normally, this wouldn’t have been strange in itself as he could have easily overheard her name in the village and fit it to her person, but the way he _said_ it. His tone, and even the way he was currently _looking_ up at her. It was like he actually recognized her… _knew_ her…

But who the hell was _he_? She had met him for the first time not even two hours ago. How can he recognize her by name all of a sudden?

The situation had taken a strange and dangerous turn, and Usue didn’t like it.

This man new her name and now knew that she was trying to summon a demon. If word got out to the villagers about this, she was as good as dead…or at the very least, she would probably be run out of town with Mateo and Blanca cursing her name.

If she wanted to spare herself all that, she would have to make a break for it _tonight_.

Usue’s stomach churned at the thought of having to make her flight so soon while unprepared, but if that’s what it came to, then that’s what she’ll have to do.

But first, she had to find out what this man knew. She furrowed her eyes as she bore down on him, “How do you know my name? Did someone tell you? Who _are_ you?!”

She wanted to sound calm and collected, but the questioned ended up shooting out of her mouth in rapid succession. In short, she sounded as scared as she felt. She should have just denied being who he thought she was, but it was too late to do that now…

Sartael meanwhile was reeling in his own shock as he continued to gawk up at the girl that just confirmed that she was who he thought she was.

 _Usue_?

The girl from twelve years ago?

 _This_ was really her?!

She was a _witch_?!

What.the.hell?!?!

‘So much for giving me her word.’ He thought as the pain between his legs began to fade away. He was about to get up when Usue raised her book as if to hit him.

“Don’t move!” she ordered, “Until I get my answers, you’re not going anywhere!” she tightened her hold on her makeshift weapon.

It may not have been much, but it was still pretty heavy, and with enough force, she was sure she could do some damage should the need arise.

Sartael settled back down on his knees, “Still an aggressive brat, I see.” He sneered up at her.

Usue bristled, “ _What_ are you talking about?!” she hissed in exasperation, “ _How_ do you know me?!”

Sartael smirked. He wanted to keep playing with her, but past experiences taught him that sometime it was best he just held his tongue, especially when the target happened to be wielding something that could cause _any_ sort of damage.

No…it was probably best if he just ended her misery now and get his _own_ answers.

Ones that involved finding out _why_ Usue was out here partaking in the darkest of the dark arts.

Sartael shook his head with a forced chuckle, “We met years ago.” He started as he locked eyes with Usue, “How could I forget the girl that set me free?”

Usue’s brow furrowed further as she racked her brain for the memory they apparently shared.

When had she set this man ‘free’?

Seeing the girl’s confusion, Sartael rolled his eyes, “By _Saint Michael’s bastard_ , don’t tell me you’re grown dumber over the years.” He growled, hoping that was the hint she needed to trigger the memory.

To his credit, it seemed to have worked.

Usue’s eyes widened, and it was like she was eight years old again and back in that grimy smithy, and images of a shackled demon locked in a suspended cage flashed through her mind.

She blinked.

It _couldn’t_ be…or _could_ it?

Was it really possible that the demon that had led her out of Hell was finally back after all these years?

Was this ‘man’ really him?

Usue lowered her book and tilted her head, “…Sartael…?”

The demon smiled, “Who else would it be?” His eyes faded from dark brown to a bright yellow that seemed to glow in the darkness.

It was the same tactic that Alastor had used over a decade ago when he revealed himself to Sartael. In turn, Usue’s response was similar to Sartael’s.

“Oh, my gods…it’s _really_ you.” She placed a hand over her racing heart.

Even with the proof literally sitting right in front of her, she still couldn’t believe that Sartael was here…as in _right here_. Near her village. Talking to her. _Right now_.

The book dropped out of her hand with a loud thud, and she quickly followed suit, landing on her knees so that she was eye level with the demon.

“What are you _doing_ here?” she asked, her eyes still wide in disbelief.

Sartael raised a brow, “’Here’ as in _here_ in the forest, or ‘hear’ as in the village? Which is it?” Sensing no more incoming attacks, he stood up and offered a hand to the young woman.

Usue blinked rapidly, “Uh…both.” She took his offered digit and stood up herself, brushing off her knees as she did so.

“Well, to answer the question as to why I’m here in the village, the short answer is that I came to check up on you and make sure you were being treated better. As to why I’m here _now_ ; I was trying to figure out what the young lady I met was up to, but that was before I knew you were _you_. Of course, now that I know who you are,” he cast a glance at the materials that were still strewn about, “I can’t say I’m too impressed.” He furrowed his brows and crossed his arms.

Usue looked over her items before looking back at the demon, “I-”

“You _promised_ me that you wouldn’t make any more deals with demons. Do you remember that?”

“Yes I-”

“Do you remember what happened the last time you shook the wrong demon’s hand?”

“Yes but-”

“Do you _want_ that to happen again? Are you _trying_ to end up in Hell for eternity?!”

“ **No**! _Listen_!” Usue raised her voice, flinching when Sartael’s eyes flashed yellow once more. It probably wasn’t a good idea to yell at a demon, regardless of how incompetent they were. None the less, she continued, “The only reason why I’m doing this is because I’m trying to get answers about my mother and Patxi.”

Sartael rolled his eyes, “You’re _still_ going on about your mother?”

“ _Yes_ , and I’m not going to stop until I find out if my mother’s okay.” Usue’s irritation had returned at this point, and she lifted her chin in defiance.

Sartael brought a hand up and rubbed his brows in frustration, “Look, all I can say is that your mother is in the Seventh Circle. What her punishment is, I don’t know because it depends on the situation that led to the suicide.”

Usue raised a brow, “What does that mean?”

“It means that those that kill themselves to escape a punishment or to evade capture for committing a crime get a harsher sentence than those that end their lives simply for being sad.” He said all this in a causal tone as if the thought of someone being tormented for eternity was nothing to be concerned about.

This didn’t sit well with Usue, and her anxiety about her mother’s fate only grew, “So…so what are they doing to her?”

“Do you _really_ want me to go into detail of what they may be doing to your mother?”

Usue hesitated. Did she?

“Is it really that bad?” she wrung her hands together.

Sartael cast his eye up and tilted his head side to side as if in thought, “As I said, it is for some, but it depends on her judgement and if she’s committed any other sins in life.” He looked down at Usue, and though he hated to admit it, her crestfallen expression killed him, “But if this was her only sin and she lived her life riotously, then I’m sure she’s getting off with one of the lighter sentences.”

A spark of hope, “Which _is_?”

The demon shook his head, “I don’t know. I’m not very familiar with that section of the Seventh Circle. As it is, I’m stationed at the Eighth Circle…usually.” As he said this, he coughed into his fist, and Usue was reminded of their first encounter when Sartael claimed that there was no way she could hurt him and the only reason why he screamed in pain when she ran the bell was because his ears were sensitive due to the ‘dampness’ of the smithy.

In short, Usue found his lying quirk.

She wanted to push him further as something told her he knew more than what he was letting on, but she refrained from doing so and decided that she would get her answers in time…giving that he didn’t plan on leaving any time soon.

Silence descended between the two, and Usue was about to start more casual conversation when Sartael spoke up before her. “Now that we got all _that_ out of the way; would you mind telling me what other reason you have for risking your soul? Because I’m sure you didn’t just wake up one morning and decide to throw away my sacrifice of helping you _out_ of Hell, in favor of condemning yourself right back in.” He gave her a pointed look, “At least, that’s what I’m _hoping_ didn’t happen.”

Usue bit her lip. While that was far from the truth, she always did assume that should she ever come across Sartael again, he would see it that way, and by the looks of it, her assumption was correct.

“Things have been a little… _overbearing_.” She admitted.

Sartael’s brows raised, “They’re _still_ giving you a hard time?” His irritation grew at the townspeople.

Didn’t he warn them of what he would do if they didn’t start treating Usue better?

Sure it was an empty threat, well… _mostly_ empty, but he would have thought that it would be enough to scare the villagers straight. That is, unless someone was able to call his bluff, but still. Why risk the wrath of a demon and continue to torment a child?

“Who is it?” he demanded, his eyes glowing gold, and his upper teeth sharpening into points.

Usue put up her hands and shook her head, “No, no! It’s not like that, its just…” she paused to compose her next sentence, “People are expecting _a lot_ from me.”

“Uh-huh.” Sartael’s eye and teeth returned to the usual human form, “And that’s a bad thing…?”

Usue sighed heavily. He made it sound stupid when he said it like _that_.

“They consider me a Saint now.” She answered.

Sartael blinked, “They do?”

Usue nodded, “Yes. I guess it has something to do with you starting the rumor twelve years ago.” She put her hands on her hips with a raised brow.

Sartael frowned, “Are you saying it’s _my_ fault they think highly of you now?”

“They want me to become a nun!” Usue held out her hands, exasperated. 

“Is that it? You’re upset over _that_?” Seeing Usue’s dumbfounded expression, he continued, “Listen, I’m not exactly fond of that sort of profession, but that doesn’t seem like something to get so worked up over.”

“It’s not what I want to do with my life!” Usue snapped.

“Then tell them. Tell your guardians that you don’t want to join the monastery.” Sartael suggested.

Usue shook her head, “It’s not that simple…”

Sartael sighed as he observed her.

He could see where she was coming from, but getting caught up in the dark arts wasn’t exactly a better alternative, and if you asked him, he could think of plenty of better ways to rebel.

“It was also out of curiosity.”

Sartael looked back at Usue, “What?”

Usue looked down at the ground and shrugged, “After meeting you I…became interested in Demonology and witchcraft, and through that I learned of other pagan religions and…I guess I found that more interesting and an easier faith to follow.” She looked back at the demon.

Sartael eyed the young woman, “You follow the old gods?” This earned him a shrug from the woman.

“I worship when I can. It’s hard to do so while living in a monastery, so I have wait till I get out here.”

Sartael rubbed his brows again, “Right. And where does demonolatry come into play?”

“Like I said, I was looking for answers, and I thought Orobas-”

“Orobas? As in _Prince_ Orobas?” Sartael asked dumbfounded.

Usue’s eyes darted left to right in confusion, “There’s more than one?”

“There’s hundreds of thousands of demons down in Hell. Names are bound to repeat.” Sartael deadpanned.

“Oh.” Usue blinked. She always assumed that each demon had their own unique name, or at the very least, she would have assumed that none of the lower demons would share a name with any of the higher-ranking demons. _But_ if there really was as many demons as Sartael said there were, then she really shouldn’t be surprised that some bore the same names of others.

“Well…I was looking for Orobas as in Lucifer’s oracle.” She explained.

“That would be Prince Orobas.”

Usue nodded, “Yes. I was looking for _Prince_ Orobas for answers...as well as for to put an end to some of the gossip going around the village.” Usue lowered her voice, “The people are getting a little suspicious of me.”

Sartael huffed, “You don’t say.” He crossed his arms, “You _do_ know that Orobas is one of the sterner demons, right?”

Usue nodded again, “Yes I did read that he dislikes liars and deception, but I had no _intent_ of doing either. I also know that he’s one of the more loyal demons that is bound to keep his word, unlike _some_.” She sent a knowing look at Sartael.

“I had my reasons. But that’s not the point!” Sartael put up a finger in warning, “Orobas takes lies _very_ seriously, even small ones that you’d think wouldn’t matter. You could lie about your favorite color, and he’ll know of your deceit and he’ll punish you even for that. He may be one of the more ‘friendly’ of us, but if you’re not careful…” he shook his head and let the warning hang.

He wasn’t about to go into detail over what he had done to some of his summoners.

Usue cringed at the thought. She did recall that while pleasant and loyal, Orobas’ temperament _could_ change at the drop of a hat if he suspected even the _slightest_ bending of the truth.  

Obviously, he was someone she should still be wary off despite first impressions.

Perhaps she would need to do some more preparations, not only in terms of making sure she had the right equipment for the invocation, but to cover her grounds on what she was going to say and to make sure that nothing sounded like she was attempting to deceive the demon Prince in any way.

It would sure be a shame to end up getting cursed while trying to receive help…

Sartael observed Usue as she seemed to take all this in consideration, “You should also know that you don’t need a demon’s help to dispel the gossip about you.”

Usue looked back at him, “Then how do I make them stop?”

“By not doing what they think you’re doing.” As if Sartael really needed to tell her that. It was just common sense really…

Usue however, didn’t appreciate his sarcasm, and she crossed her arms, “That’s easier said than done. It’s not like I have much of an option anyway.”

Sartael rolled his eyes, “Spare me the excuses. There’s plenty of other ways to deal with your problems without the help of demons. The option you’re choosing is dangerous for not only you, but everyone else around you. Myself included.” He added the last part under his breath as he glared off to the side.

None the less, Usue picked it up and blinked, “You? How are _you_ impacted by any of this?” her arms moved down to her hips as she stared him down.

“I’m a fugitive in Hell’s eyes. If you call up Orobas, or _anyone_ from Hell, they’ll catch my scent and know I’m nearby, and before I know it, they’ll be sending legions of demons after me. Even if was able to get a head start, it would be futile since this would be the starting point to track me.” That’s all Sartael wanted to say about _that_.

“Really? Wait… _Fugitive_?” Usue blinked.

Sartael growled lowly. Did he _really_ need to spell it out for her? Apparently so…

“I’ve got so many offenses against me. You heard Alastor recite most of them off, but now we can add me evading capture, helping a soul bring a weapon into Hell, _escorting_ a soul _out_ of Hell, and then evading capture _again_ to the list.” His stomach dropped at the thought. _So_ many reasons to not return.

Usue blinked with raised brows, “That _is_ a lot…and why didn’t they send anyone after you sooner if it’s so easy to hunt you down?”

Sartael cringed at the term. _Hunt_. Like he was some kind of animal…

“They may have, but if I remember correctly, it rained shortly after my departure, and I’m sure the rain washed away my scent in the area. Even if Alastor or one of the high-ranking demons sent their soldiers right away, I doubt they were able to track me for long.”

Usue nodded slowly. She remembered how it rained only a few short hours after Usue’s return. She also recalled how Mateo had called it a ‘cleansing rain’ that God had sent to wash away all the sin and evil that had occurred in their small village, and that it was a sign of a fresh start.

At the time, Usue thought that the old priest was being dramatic as usual, and didn’t think much of the shower, but now knowing how it benefited the demon, she was somewhat glad it had happened.

“Well…that’s good.” She admitted.

“Indeed.” Sartael agreed.

“But…” Usue hesitated, debating on how to proceed with her next question, “what would have happened if they _did_ catch you?”

Sartael frowned, “What do you mean? They would have taken me back to Hell.”

“I mean…what would they have done to you once they took you back to Hell?” She didn’t now _why_ she so curious about it. Perhaps it was just a morbid fascination on how close of a call the demon had.

Said demon shifted some fallen leaves away from him, “Originally, I was only facing a demotion.” He started before shifting in unease, “But now, I’m sure there’s a _physical_ punishment awaiting me…actually, I _know_ there’s a physical punishment waiting for me.” Seeing Usue’s eyes widened, he continued, “It’s not hard to imagine what my sentence would be. Other demons have been beaten or lashed for lesser offenses.”

“Alastor.” Usue guessed, which earned her a confirming nod.

“Yes. And that leads to yet _another_ reason why you shouldn’t risk contacting anyone in Hell.” Sartael stepped closer, “Alastor would be looking for _you_ as well.”

Usue blanched, “ _Me_?!”

“Yes, _you.”_

Usue blinked rapidly, “What-”

“You rang the bell!” Sartael reminded, “You insulted him and brought him to his knees in front of multiple souls, you-”

“Humiliated and hurt him.” Usue finished, thinking back to his cries of pain when she rung the blessed bell, thus blowing his cover in front of his impromptu lackies.

She interfered _twice_ in his plans.

 _Of course,_ he would have it out for her.

She looked up at Sartael, and he hesitantly nodded in confirmation.

“And…what kind of punishments does he usually give out to women?” Usue wasn’t sure if she really wanted to know the answer, but if there was an angry arch-demon after her, she figured it would be in her best interest to know what may be in store for her, if only to motivate her to stay away from Alastor.

“It ranges. Alastor can be… _creative_ with his tortures, especially when someone wrongs _him_ specifically. His idea of punishment could be anything Usue. _Anything_.” He gave her a pointed look, silently begging her not to make him go into detail.

Usue blanched as her imagination ran wild. “That’s a terrifying thought…” she admitted.

Sartael nodded, “All the more reason why you should’ve _never_ gotten caught up with all _this_ ,” he gestured to her materials once more, “in the first place.”

Usue looked down at her materials in thought. She didn’t want to risk getting capture and thrown into Alastor’s clutches, but she certainly didn’t _want_ to give up her practice. She was already in deep, and enjoyed the wiccan-pagan teachings better than the Catholic preachings she had been brought up with. She loved worshiping the various deities in her own way, and the thought performing magic was too alluring.

No, she couldn’t just cut _everything_ out of her life and return to her old customs. She would _die_ if she just rolled over and accepted her fate as a nun.

Usue bristled at just the _thought_ of it.

“Maybe…” she started slowly, noticing how Sartael perked, “maybe I should just avoid contacting demons. Demon’s aren’t always needed for the craft, right?”

Sartael tossed his head back in frustration, “ _Usue_!”

This damn girl just didn’t get it!

Usue rocked back and forth on her feet, her hands held behind her, “No, no, it’s fine. I won’t make any further contact with any demons, other than you.” She smiled innocently.

Sartael stared at her, “You’re just _begging_ for trouble, aren’t you?”

“I already told you I wasn’t going to contact anyone. You don’t have to worry about me.” She argued.

“I feel compelled to.” Sartael droned with dropped brows.

Usue shrugged, and the demon ran a hand over his face with a heavy sigh. It was a long day, and he was too tired to deal with this further.

“It’s getting late.” He looked up at the stars before locking his gaze on Usue once more, “We’ll discuss this more tomorrow.”

Usue perked, “You’ll be here tomorrow?”

“I’ll be around for a few weeks…so long as no body does something stupid like…summon a demon despite everything we just discussed.” He frowned at Usue. After tonight, he was seriously thinking of just packing it up and high tailing it out of town, but for Usue’s sake, he would stick around. If anything, he could use this time to make sure Usue kept her word on not contacting anyone.

Usue merely rolled her eyes, “I _won’t_.”

“We’ll see.” Sartael looked around him, “We should probably get all this cleaned up and get you back home. I’m sure your guardians are wondering where you are.”

“They don’t know I’m out here.”

Sartael closed his eyes. Go figure they didn’t.

Usue waved a dismissive hand, “I’m an adult. I can do what I want.” She bent down to retrieve her books.

“Is that why you were sneaking around town?” Sartael challenged as he crouched down to help her.

Usue’s eyes widened, “Uuummm…”

Sartael smirked, “That’s what I thought.”

The two continued to work in silence, gathering the materials and gently dropping them into the hidden compartment.

It didn’t take long to get everything hidden away, and Usue dragged the large cover over the opening before kicking some fallen leaves and other foliage over it until it blended in with the rest of the ground.

“…You’ve been doing this for a while. Haven’t you?” Sartael spoke up as Usue brushed off her dress.

“A good, long while.” Usue confirmed, “Almost as soon as you left.”

Oh damn…

When Sartael left twelve years ago, the last thing he wanted was to leave a lasting impression on the young girl. Unfortunately, he did, and it would seem that it was a negative one.

“I’m sorry I influenced you down this path.”

“I’m not.” Usue answered.

By now, he expected that answer, “I’m so glad I gave up my home and freedom for this.”

“ _Sartael-_ ”

“That’s all I’m saying.” He put his hands up in surrender.

Usue moved towards him and punched him in the arm.

“ **Ow**! What was _that_ for?!” Sartael demanded as he rubbed his throbbing limb.

 “That’s all I’m saying.” Usue mimicked with a shrug. She moved pasted the demon and started back to the village. She looked back, “Aren’t you coming?”

Sartael cringed as he rolled his still aching shoulder, “Yes.” He winced as he followed after her. ‘Damn that woman can hit.’ He whined.

It was several moments before they either of them spoke up again, and as expected, it was Usue that broke the silence.

“So…you said you were going to stay here for a while?” she started.

Sartael nodded, “Just a short stay before I continue on my way.”

“On your way to where?” Usue tilted her head.

“Oh, just here and there. I wonder aimlessly until I find a town to stay in for a while before repeating the process.” Sartael explained for the umpteenth time.

Usue looked up at Sartael, “So you just come and go as you please?”

“Obviously, yes.”

“And you get to see new places and experience new things?” Usue was getting excited at the thought of just roaming the country, meeting new people and leaving when things didn’t work out.

“Both of those _are_ part of the whole traveling business.” Sartael quipped as the village came into view.

“Sorry. It’s just…I’ve always wanted to travel and see the world myself.” Usue explained, a dreamy look in her eyes.

“Then do it.” Usue glanced at him with a knowing look and Sartael was quick to remember her predicament, “Oh right. Your _guardians_.” He frowned, “But didn’t you point out not long ago that you’re an _adult_ , and you didn’t need their permission to do things?”

“I did. And I do plan on leaving, but…”

“ _But_?”

“I just need the courage to put my foot down and tell them I’m leaving whether they like it or not.” Usue rolled her eyes and pushed her hair behind her ear, “Of course it’s not going to be easy. They won’t let me go without a fight.”

“That’s unfortunate.” Sartael commented.

He didn’t want to admit that he had been in her situation when he ran away from Hell. Demons abandoning their duty was heavily looked down upon, and it was usually just a matter of time before the deserter was found and brought back home. Because of this, rogues normally had to think long and hard and come up with a plan before leaving. They had to know where they were going and what they were going to do to get by and blend in with any humans they would be surrounding themselves with.

It was rare for someone to just up and leave like Sartael had, but sometimes, desperate times called for desperate measures, and by the looks of it, Usue was falling into some desperate times herself.

But he wasn’t going to tell her all that.

It was bad enough that she had fallen into the practice of witchcraft, the last thing he wanted was for her to get ideas and run off on her own.

She didn’t understand how hard it was to find a place to stay or find a job that was willing to hire when one would only be around for a short period.

It was all too much work, and Sartael honestly didn’t want that for Usue. She was still young and had plenty of time to figure herself out and make it through this bad joke called ‘life’.

“Sartael? Were you listening to me?”

The demon blinked and turned his attention back to his human companion, “I…no. Sorry. I was lost in my own thoughts. Did you say something?”

Usue frowned, “ _Yes_ , I asked if you could tell me of your travels tomorrow. I’m curious as to exactly where you’ve been and what you’ve been up to.” Her smile returned.

By now, they had re-entered the village and were heading back to the church.

“I suppose I can share a few of my adventures. You’ll have to wait till I’m done with work though.” He conceded.

“Work?”

“Yes work. If you recall, I _do_ need to work to pay my expenses during my stay.”

“Who do you work for?”

“Are you familiar with Lorenzo and his boys?”

“I’ve seen them around.”

“Well, that’s who I’m working for. I help with their crops.”

“Oh. Do you stay there too?”

Sartael shook his head, “No. I’m renting a room from Phineas and Nora. I’m sure you know those two as well?”

Usue scrunched her face in thought, “They live in the cottage outside the village.” at Sartael’s nod, she continued, “I’ve spoken to them only a handful of times. They’re a little peculiar, but I like them. They’re probably the only ones that are genuinely nice to me in this hell hole.”

Sartael scoffed, “Trust me, you don’t _know_ what a ‘hell hole’ is.”

Usue laughed, “Of course _you_ would know.” She teased which earned her a soft chuckle in return.

They continued walking, and soon enough, they reached the chapel’s doors.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” Usue asked as the two turned to face each other.

“Tomorrow.” Sartael confirmed.

Usue smiled, “Good.” She paused then before she could stop herself, she wrapped her arms around the demon.

The action happened so fast, that Sartael didn’t even have time to deflect her, and simply stood there, wide eyed as she embraced him.

The hug itself only lasted for a second or two before Usue released him and stepped back, her cheeks blushing red.

“Sorry. I’m just…it’s _really_ good to see you again.” The young woman confessed. And it was true. She had been thinking about him the past few days, and then out of the blue, here he was.

Sartael however, just cleared his throat, his chocolate eyes darting around before landing on hers once more, “It’s fine. And…it’s good to see you too.”

They lingered at the door step in silence before Sartael spoke, “I better get going.”

“Me too.” Usue agreed, “Good night Sar-”

Sartael put a finger to her lips, shushing gently, “Itzal.” He corrected, lowering his voice, “It’s the name I’ve been going by…at least when I’m around other humans.”

Usue’s eye lit up in understanding.

So that was his cover name.

Okay. She could deal with that.

She moved his finger away from her lips, “Alright. Good night _Itzal_.” She smirked playfully.

Satisfied, Sartael stepped back, “Good night. _Usue_.” He smiled before turning and walking down the steps. He stopped to look back at her only once before turning and continuing on his way back to the cottage.

Usue watched till the darkness consumed him before quietly opening the door and slipping in, keeping sure to lock it again.

She turned and looked around the empty chapel, listening for any other sign of life. Only silence greeted her, and she silently made her way through the building and towards the chambers.

The monastery was dark, and only a few candles were lit to guide her way.

She moved past her guardian’s rooms, and was pleased to hear the soft sounds of snores as it meant they had fallen asleep long ago, and hadn’t noticed her absence.

Usue grinned at her luck and finished her trek back to her bedroom, now with more confidence.

Once there, she quickly changed into her nightgown and stored away her evening clothes before climbing into bed. The evening’s evens replayed in her head as she stared up at the ceiling, a smile gracing her lips.

Sartael was back in town, and with his return came her chance of freedom.


	4. Stories and revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sartael feels a little homesick and Usue deals with some bully problems. Some travel stories seem to lighten the mood until a long held secret from Usue's past comes to light.

** The Following Day **

Sartael woke up following morning at the crack of dawn, as was his usual schedule.

It was something that had transferred over from his old job.

Back in Hell, it was nothing but routine. Demons woke up, worked their shifts, and went to bed. All other ‘pleasantries’, such as, meals, mini-breaks, and time spent on friends and families had to be worked in when and _if_ the demon could afford to put them in. Some demons would be made to work double shifts, usually coving for someone else, and would only have time for work and sleep, and ended up going to bed hungry. Then the following day, it was the same old thing.

Many worked themselves to exhaustion, and eventually, supervisors were forced to give the poor overworked demon several days off, which would then place the stress load on some other low ranker.

Sartael clenched his jaw as he put on his work boots.

It was as if the demons themselves were being punished along side the human souls.

But not all of them.

Oh no. It was just the demons that bore yellow eyes…like Sartael.

The Pushovers.

The lowest of the low.

The garbage of Hell…

Sartael finished putting on his footwear and sat at the edge of his bed, his fists clenched the bedsheets as he glared at the wall opposite of him.

He _hated_ who he was in Hell. He was a no-body that got pushed and kicked around, and his eye color was a constant reminder that he would never be anything more than a simple messenger and low-level tormentor.

And his superiors… _Alastor_ …they wanted to make him _less_ than what he already was.

Sartael stood up and walked over to the small dresser and mirror. He ran his hands through his hair a few times, effectively taming it into place. He placed his hands on the counter and leaned forward to observe his human form in the mirror. Dark eyes framed by black bangs, stared back at him.

Shifting into his natural, demon form, he glared into the now golden orbs that seemingly glared right back, his long tail swinging behind him.

 _“You have your father’s eyes…”_ his mother’s soothing voice rang through his head. He could practically feel her hand cupping his cheek.

 _“-each one has his place-”_ Alastor’s cold words echoed.

_“You’re only making things harder for yourself! Stop trying to be something you’re not!” _

That one was from a painfully unexpected source.

Back in Hell, Sartael _did_ have a small handful of friends that he worked along side for centuries, but his best and closest friend had always been Orobas.

Orobas, like Sartael, was the result of a fling between demons of opposite ends of the hierarchy, and just as Sartael had inherited his yellow eyes from his father, Orobas was born with his mother’s golden orbs. This sealed his fate, and he was automatically placed at the bottom of the corporate ladder.  

The two had met as children and had grown up together. They went to the same training, and were fortunate enough to be stationed in the same area. They even managed to secure a housing unit to share with several of their other close friends.

Sartael’s breathing grew heavier.

The two had been through so much together, and he always thought that Orobas would be that _one_ demon that would stand by his side no matter _what_.

And for the most part, he _did_.

Orobas was like the older brother that Sartael never had…or at least, _knew_.  

Times had been so _good_ back then. It made his shitty job almost _bearable_.

But then _she_ came into the picture.

And _that’s_ when things started to unravel…

Sartael’s claws dug into the furniture, leaving tiny scratch marks in their wake.

 _That_ was when he learned that Orobas was _just_ like everyone else. He was willing to just accept things the way they were and expected Sartael to do the same.

But he didn’t want that. He _couldn’t_ accept that anymore.

Sartael growled and shifted back into his human form, taking in his raven hair, chocolate eyes and tanned skin.

_“It’s not what I want to do with my life!”_

He clenched his eyes at Usue’s desperate plea. It had hit a lot closer to home than she thought.

So who was he to try to stop her from running off to start a new life, when he himself had done the exact same thing?

When it came down to it, he had no say in what she did, but…the thought of _her_ , a young, human woman, wondering the country alone with no protection, was enough to tug at his guilt strings.

He, a demon, could now handle himself fairly well.

But a lone ‘witch’ like Usue? Against a gang of armed men? She’d be jumped and have Satan-knows-what done to her.

Sartael shivered at the thought and pushed himself away from the dresser, snatching up his satchel as he did so.  He walked over to the door and slowly pulled it open, cringing at it creaked.

Phineas and Nora would still be asleep, and out of courtesy, Sartael tended to avoid waking them.

It was _his_ job to be up this early. Not theirs.

He stepped out and silently made his way over to the front door. He opened it, smiling when it didn’t creak as well, stepped out and closed and locked up once he was out.

Sighing, he turned and observed the scenery before him.

The sun was peaking just over the horizon, giving the surrounding area a red hue. The sky directly above him was still held an indigo hue, and Sartael could still see the fading moon as well as a few of the brightest stars. At his feet, morning dew lingered on the grass, and a thin mist lingered through the nearby forest. The sounds of birds chirping could be heard from the nearby trees, and a fresh, earthy smell was in the air. Even the temperature was still cool from the previous night.

It was pleasant and calming, and _nothing_ like Hell.

‘If it weren’t for the humans, this place wouldn’t be half bad.’ Sartael thought as he made his way to the farm.

** At the monastery  **

Usue hummed as she set the table, placing cups, plates and utensils in near perfect layout, going as far as to straighten out any knife or fork that wasn’t line up ‘properly’.

Once everything looked appropriate, she turned and poked at the fire.

The sounds of approaching footsteps caught her attention, and she turned with a smile, wiping her hands on her apron.

“Good morning!” she greeted cheerfully as a stunned Blanca and Mateo entered the room.

“Good morning…” Blanca returned as she took her seat. She gave a small ‘oh!’ as Usue helped push her chair in. “You’re up early.” She finished, looking around at the roaring fire and the still warm food at the center of the table.

Usue smiled warmly as she helped Mateo into his seat, “I figured I’d get an early start on my chores.” She explained before reaching out and scooping some eggs and biscuits onto her guardians’ plates.

“So I can tell.” Blanca mused as she took a bite from her eggs, eyeing Usue suspiciously. Normally, it took a good thirty to forty-five minutes _just_ to get the girl up and out of bed. Add another fifteen to twenty minutes of her washing up and getting dressed, and that totaled over an hour to get her started on her work.

So, for her to be up this early and making breakfast…it was… _odd_.

“What else have you gotten done?” Blanca asked as she took another bite.

Usue sat in her own seat and served herself a good portion of the meal, “Oh, just some sweeping and moping. I also went out and gathered some more wood as well as replenished our water supply.” She motioned to the pile of wood and the two large jugs of water.

Okay. _Something_ was up.

Blanca pushed her plate away and leaned toward her charge, “What did you do?”

Usue blinked, “Nothing!” she answered earnestly.

“Then what is it you want?” The older woman pried.

Usue opened her mouth, when Mateo spoke up, “Oh leave her be, Blanca. Just be grateful that she’s in a better mood today.” The elder priest smiled at the room’s youngest occupant, to which she smiled in return.

“I just wanted to get my work down early so I can enjoy the rest of my day.” Usue insisted. “I also want to go out and walk around the village for a while.” She added quickly, folding her hands as she eagerly awaited Blanca’s answer.

Blanca slapped a hand on the table before pointing a finger at Usue, “There it is. I _knew_ it! What are you planning on doing in the village?”

“I-”

“ _Blanca_.” Mateo warned softly, placing his hand over hers, “Don’t give her a hard time. Let her go out and mingle with the rest of the villagers. It’ll be good for her to socialize every now and then, and in spite of what happened yesterday, I say she’s earned some time to herself.”

Usue couldn’t believe her luck as she heard Mateo’s words. He was actually taking her side for once?

Well that was a first…

None the less, Usue turned a pleading look at Blanca, “Please?”

The elder woman looked between her foster daughter and friend. She sighed, “Fine. You can have the rest of the day off-” Usue beamed and Blanca continued, “ _But,_ I better not hear of you getting into any fights or arguments!” she warned.

Usue, already knowing how she was going to spend her day, shook her head, “I won’t.”

Blanca leaned back, “Alright. I suppose you can leave after breakfast. I’ll take care of the dishes.”

Usue beamed and started to wolf down her food, eager to get out of there and get to Sartael.

“ _Usue_!” Blanca scolded with wide eyes.

Mateo simply chuckled at the young woman’s antics, “Keep eating like that, and you’re bound to choke on something.”

Usue brought a napkin to her mouth as she struggled to chew and swallow everything she had stuffed in there.

Blanca rolled her eyes. Leave it to Usue to be a young adult and _still_ act like a child…

“Are you alright?” Mateo asked as Usue picked up her glass of water.

Usue nodded before taking a couple of sips to ease the rest of the food down.

“I’m fine.” She said before standing up, “Shall I throw out the scraps?”

Blanca shook her head, “If you’re finished, just leave it there. I already told you I’ll clean up.”

“Alright then…I’ll just be going now.” Usue took a couple of slow steps towards the door before dashing out of the kitchen.

“Behave yourself!” Blanca called after her. When the woman didn’t reply, she called out again, “Usue!”

Mateo patted her arm, “She’ll be fine dear.”

Blanca sighed as she looked back down at her half-eaten breakfast.

She _wanted_ to believe the priest’s words, and she _wanted_ to trust Usue, but something deep down told her the girl was up to something, and whatever it was, she could only pray that Usue would have enough sense to resist whatever temptation came with it…

** Outside the monastery **

Usue practically jogged through the streets as she made her way through the village, her destination printed clearly in her mind.

A few early morning citizens watched her in confusion, but she didn’t care. She was eager to see the demon and could barley contain her excitement.

She had a full day to really get to know the demon. She would hear his stories of where he’s been, and what he does, and even though they had already gone into vague detail about it yesterday, Usue was admit on getting more information about Hell and it’s residents…and perhaps even get a clear answer to what they were doing to her mother and Patxi down below.

She could understand his ambiguity, as it was probably for her sake, but after sleeping on it, she came to the conclusion that she _did_ want to know what was happening. Perhaps then she could find a way to help them.

Sartael said there was no forgiveness or hope, but…there _had_ to be a way…

There was _always_ a way.

Usue’s face set into a look of determination at the thought, and she quickened her pace.

She was nearly at the edge of town when a feminine voice rang out to her left.

“ _There_ she is!”

“Usue!”

Despite all the warnings the little voice in her head threw at her, Usue slowed to a stop. She _could_ have kept going, but that would have only initiated a pursuit, and the last thing she wanted was to be followed out of town.

Reluctantly, she turned to face her callers, instantly cringing when a group of five women strolled up to her, giggling and whispering as the drew closer.

“Where are you going _witch_?” The leader asked, a condescending smile on her lips.

“Probably going out to sell her soul again.” Another girl teased.

“Maybe she already has.” Mused another.

A fourth girl tiled her head at Usue, “Is that true? Does that mean you’re at the stage where you spread your legs for your dark master?”

Usue blushed, “ _No!”_ She would _never_!

“I bet that’s why she’s always running off into the woods.” The fifth member commented to the fourth.

“That’s _not_ what’s going on!” Usue snapped, her temper flaring.

“Oh?” the leader challenged, stepping forward to glare down at Usue, “Then what _are_ you doing in there?” The other girls moved in closer, almost challenging the woman to try something.

Usue _wanted_ to give one of her witty remarks, or even shove Lucia away, but with five against one, the odds of her winning any scuffle that broke out, were _not_ in her favor. So, she settled for a gentler approach.

“Not that it’s any of your _business_ , but if you _must_ know, I go in there to _read_.” She adjusted her shawl, “It’s more peaceful out there.” She finished.

“Reading about the devil, I assume.” The third girl, Amaya, accused. The others nodded in agreement.

“No, that’s not it!” Usue lied. Her heart was pounding. They were getting a little _too_ personal.

“Then _show_ us.” Lucia ordered. Her lackies all stared at Usue expectantly.

Usue’s lip twitched, “No.”

Lucia furrowed her brows, “What was that? _Witch_?”

In a surge of courage, Usue bristled, “I said, _no_.”

The leader scoffed, “ _No_?”

“Are you hard of hearing? I said I’m not taking you to the only safe haven I have in this _shit_ hole!” Usue bit out, going as far as to leaning towards her rival. She smirked inwardly when the women all flinched away. It seemed that they remembered _who_ they were messing with.

Unfortunately, one of the women, Joska, was able to compose herself and bit back, “I guess cause it’s true. You _do_ dabble in the dark arts.” She hissed.

“That’s not why!”

“Then what is it? What is there to be afraid of?” Lucia’s second-in-command, Sofia taunted.

“ _I’m busy_.” Usue snapped back.

“Doing what?” Sofia pressed.

“I’m meeting someone.”

“Who?”

“ _None of your damn business!”_ Usue’s hands balled into fists.

Screw the odds, and screw Blanca’s warning.

She was ready to fight the village bitches.

Celestina, the ‘toughest’ girl in the group tensed up and looked ready to trade punches with the village ‘witch’.

Sensing the impending fight, Lucia put an arm out to block her friend just as she took a step towards Usue, “Leave her! She’s not worth it. If she wasn’t to be cryptic and whore herself out in the middle of the woods, then let her.” She smirked at the scarred woman, “It’ll be her guardian’s shame that she’ll have to answer to.”

“And the Lord!” Amaya piped up, “She’ll have to answer to him as well!”

Usue scowled. The woman looked a little _too_ excited at the prospect of Usue being severely punished in the afterlife.

Lucia nodded, “That’s _right_.” She leaned closer to Usue once more, “Because _stupid_ witches that turn to Satan, end up in Hell.” That nauseating smile returned, “But I suppose for _you_ , that wouldn’t be such a bad thing, what with your mother waiting for you and all.”

“Then I’ll see you there.” Usue growled back.

Lucia’s eyes hardened, “What-”

“You accuse _me_ of sleeping around, when _you’re_ the one spending nights with your legs wrapped around Rafael.” Usue pursed her lips and tilted her chin, waiting for the bully’s comeback. She actually broke out into a triumphant smile when Lucia’s face dropped and her eyes widened.

“ _How-_ ”

“Rafael likes to talk.” Usue explained before furrowing her brows, “Or should I say, he likes to _brag.”_

Lucia’s jaw dropped, “You’re lying…he _wouldn’t_ -”

“I think he also said something about you enjoying it from behind?” Usue shrugged.

“He…he _told_ you!?” Lucia looked livid by now.

Usue shook her head, “No. I overheard him while I was hanging my laundry. I _tired_ not to eavesdrop, but I think you know how loud the boys get when their sharing stories in the street.”

Lucia’s breathing quickened, “That _bastard_!” she seethed, “He’s been talking about us in _public_!”

“Imagine what your family would say if _they_ ever overheard him bragging about what he’s been doing to their ‘innocent’ little girl.” Usue taunted. Lucia’s parents _loved_ to go on about how their daughter was so innocent and pure, unlike Usue, who turned her back on God and going down a dangerous heathen path. To learn of their daughter’s erotic nights, would definitely be a blow to their pride, and Usue could only hope to be there when that day came. In fact, she would _love_ to be the one to tell them herself, but wanting to be the better person, Usue always decided that she _didn’t_ want to be like every other woman in the village, and thus avoided the spreading of this particular, juicy gossip. She would let them find out on their own.

“Lucia?” Sofia asked timidly.

Lucia, who had been shocked into silence, snapped her eyes to Sofia in acknowledgement, before glaring back at Usue, “Let’s go. We’ll leave the heathen to her business.” She ordered.

The other girls backed away hesitantly, save for Celestina, who sent a cold glare at Usue.

Lucia scowled, “This isn’t over. We’ve got our eye on you, _witch_!” And with that, she turned on her heel and left. Her friends followed after her, stealing glances back and whispering among themselves.

“ _Saint my ass.”_ One of them muttered.

Usue rolled her eyes as she turned and went on her own way.

She was literally _counting_ down the days till she could get out of there.

** At the farm **

Sartael grunted as he lifted the bucket of slop up and poured it into the pig’s feeding trough.

He barley had time to move out of the way as the hogs dove forward and began to devour the smelly mush with earnest.

Sartael eased himself out of the pen and watched them from the other side, cringing at the grunts and slurps they made as they fed.

How _any_ creature can actually eat and enjoy that stuff was beyond him.

His eyes roamed over to the swine that had chosen to wallow in the mud instead of gorging themselves as their brethren were. One of them rolled over onto his back, effectively covering his entire body in sludge.

Sartael watched as the rest joined the other in writhing, and he couldn’t help but be reminded of the mire pits of the Third Circle, where gluttonous souls were punished. Where they wallowed like their swine counterparts. Where the select few became unwilling witnesses to a major fall out between two lifelong friends…

Sartael clenched his eyes at the memory.

He and Orobas had been sent down to the third circle simply to deliver a message from one higher up to another. After a typical, yet unnecessary torrent of insults, the two were sent on their way, and it was during their trek back that everything started.

Sartael made an offhand comment if the remarks they received were really warranted. Then as usual, Orobas agreed that they weren’t but really, what could a couple of low-level tormentors do about it?

From there, they began to debate, which led to a heated argument, which _then_ escalated into a full out verbal fight, in which everything that _could_ be brought up, _was_ brought up.

The fought about quirks and habits that the other had; about things they said or did; about things they _thought_ , and eventually, the topic of who Sartael was eyeing for a mate was brought up.

And oh boy, did Orobas have a few choice of words that he felt Sartael needed to hear…

 _“She’s never_ _going to be interested in you!” Orobas growled out, getting right in Sartael’s face._

_“You don’t know that!” Sartael hissed back. _

_“She insults you every time you speak to her! Whenever you’re around her, she sends you these disgusted looks! Face it! You will never have her!” _

_“…that’s…that’s not true!”_

_A growl from Orobas, “Yes it is! Don’t be stupid!” _

_Sartael fell silent, and Orobas’ face dropped into a more compassionate expression, “I’m sorry I had to tell you this, but it’s for the best.” He placed a hand on the smaller demon’s shoulder._

_“I can win her over.”_

_“… what?” _

_Sartael brushed off the appendage and stepped back, “I can prove my worth. I can show her I’m a worthy mate!” _

_Orobas shook his head, “That’s not going to work. She doesn’t want someone of our ranking.”_

_“She’s laid with others that share our status.” Sartael argued._

_“The strong ones. And, that leads to another question; would you really be okay with her laying with multiple other demons, other than you?” the older demon challenged. _

_“…yes…”_

_“No you wouldn’t.” Orobas stepped closer, “Sartael, you’re my friend, but I can’t stand by and watch you waste your time or humiliate yourself! You are not strong.” _

_Sartael stepped back and bared his teeth, “Is that what you really think?!”_

_The silence told him what he already expected._

_“Fine.” He hissed, “I suppose I’ll have to prove myself to you too.” He turned and stormed off. _

_“Where are you going?!” Orobas called after him. Upon being ignored, he let out a low growl, “You’re only making things harder for yourself! Stop trying to be something you’re not!”_

Those were the last words Sartael heard from Orobas.

As soon as he left the Third Circle, he went straight to the department that dealt with making pacts with humans, and signed himself up for the earliest assignment.

It had taken a lot of convincing, since Sartael wasn’t skilled enough to deal with living humans, but in the end, Sartael was able to get on the list, and within the hour, he was off to his first assignment on Earth.

His client?

 _Francisco Patxi_.

Sartael growled at the thought of the sadistic blacksmith.

He _had_ given Patxi what he asked for, but apparently the stupid human hadn’t done _all_ his homework, and didn’t know how deals with demons worked.

You’ll get what you ask for, but at a price.

That’s how it was always done.

 Humans always whined and gripped about how they had gotten the short end of the stick, many _did_ have to be dragged down kicking and screaming, but _never_ did Sartael anticipate what Patxi would soon pull off.

Upon his arrival, the first thing he noticed was the multitude of crosses strew around the yard.

That _should_ have been the first indication that something was wrong, but in his inexperience, he thought it was a simple attempt to ward him off, and he navigated around the obstacles with ease. He actually smiled with anticipation at the thought of his first successful retrieval.

The smile was wiped off his face when he pushed open the door to the smithy and found not only dozes crosses littering the floor and walls, but the blacksmith himself standing not far from the doorway. In his hand was a rod, and at the end was a cross that glowed red and yellow as if he had _just_ pulled it from the flames.

Sartael remembered clutching his trident tightly, ready for a fight. What happened next was nothing but a cheap shot.

Patxi threw a handful of chick peas on the ground.

“ _Count them.”_ He ordered.

Then, while Sartael was distracted, he rushed the demon, and before Sartael knew it, he was locked in an iron cage where he remained for _eight long years._

Eight years of torture while slowly losing hope of a rescue, and a creeping fear that he would have to wait till Patxi either died of natural causes or offed himself till he could gain his freedom.

And then, who should happen upon him but Usue?

At the time, Sartael didn’t know why or how she had managed to get into the smithy, but he was glad the child was there. She had been so easy to influence, and his freedom…

It had been _right there_.

He could have just gone straight to Hell and returned with backup, but no. The thought of returning empty handed would have been too humiliating, and the need for revenge was too great. He picked up his discarded trident, and while Patxi was sleeping, he tried to dispose of him, only to be thwarted and imprisoned once more.

From there, it was several more hours of torture, this time with human brat helping him, and that’s when he lost it and had a minor breakdown…in front of the humans.

He thought he was in for more when Usue returned, but to his surprise, she actually _apologized_ for hurting him. And what did he do? He went off and taunted her about her mother’s fate for her suicide, while laughing in her face before everything went dark.

When he regained consciousness, he was surrounded by humans, and to his horror, _Alastor_ was there too.

At first, he thought it was a rescue.

How _stupid_ he had been for thinking such a thing. As if Alastor, the Grand Executioner of Hell, would actually go through all this trouble for _him_ , a simple, incompetent, low-level demon.

The arch-demon’s words had worried Sartael, and he feared the thought of having to return.

He feared the thought of the demotion and of the humiliation that he was sure to endure while down there. He had no doubt that once he and Alastor returned to Hell, word would get out about _why_ Sartael had taken so long to retrieve the blacksmith’s soul, and he was _sure_ that everyone would have a good laugh at his expense when they heard how he had been kept shackled in a small cage. 

So when he made the new bargain with Usue, he knew from the start that he had no real intention of finding her mother, and the second he stepped out of the cage, he made a break for it…only to fall into another trap and get his tail handed to him by the villagers.

After that, he was _officially_ done with everything. So, when Patxi came to him saying that Alastor had taken Usue, he had some mixed thoughts about that outcome.

He felt bad for the young human and couldn’t fathom _why_ Alastor would take an innocent child when he had Patxi within reach, yet he wasn’t up in arms about going and rescuing her because well…he _really_ didn’t want to go back to Hell. And he wouldn’t have, had Patxi not mentioned how he owed it to Usue to get her out of there.

So, down they went.

And it was there that Sartael was spotted by Orobas.

Sartael rested his chin on the fence. Despite everything that had happened before his capture, Sartael had been genuinely excited to see his old friend and wanted nothing more than to apologize for starting such a stupid fight. He had so much to tell him, but their reunion was cut short when Alastor made his appearance, and sent Orobas, as well every other present demon, scurrying back into through the gates.

After that, it was pure luck that Sartael and Usue managed to leave Hell, and it was even more luck that Sartael wasn’t attacked again after delivering Usue back to her body and flat out threatening her entire village.

Sartael frowned.

Usue…

He had risked so much getting her out of Hell, only for her to ‘thank’ him by turning to _witchcraft_ , of all things.

And to top it off, he caught her trying to summon a demon in the woods!

She was crazy.

She had to be.

Why else would she partake in this crap if she wasn’t? Especially when living in a religious community that could still persecute her for being a witch?

Perhaps she was unaware that witch hunts were still a thing?

Sure, they weren’t as bad or as common as they had been several centuries ago, but they were still around, and by the looks of it, these villagers would be more than willing to execute a witch.

A witch that _everyone_ knew that she had made deals with demons before.

Sartael sighed as he brought a hand up to rub his brows.

He worried for the girl.

He knew he shouldn’t, but he _did_.

A soft tap on his shoulder made him jump, and he spun around to find none other than the village witch, beaming up at him.

“Usue!” He breathed, heart still racing.

Usue laughed, “Sorry! I thought you heard me coming.” She smirked, “But I guess you’re still having problems with your ears, what with the…dampness.” She motioned to the mud pit that was now giving off a humid feeling as the day’s temperature rose.

It took a second for Sartael to realize what she was talking about, and when he did, he gave a sarcastic laugh, “Very funny. But no. I was just lost in my own thoughts.”

Usue moved to stand next to him, placing her hands on the fence, “I could tell. I just didn’t think I could actually sneak up on a demon.”

“Normally, you can’t. So consider this a one-time thing.” Sartael huffed.

Usue rolled her eyes.

Riiight.

And she assumed all that screaming when she rang the blessed bell, or being forced to count chickpeas was a ‘one-time thing’.

Her grin grew.  She’ll just let that slide.

“So,” She started, “What were you thinking about?”

“Home.” Sartael answered.

Usue raised a brow, “Hell?”

“Where else?”

“Oh. Well about it?” What was he worried about now?

Sartael shrugged, “I was just thinking of a close friend of mine.”

“ _Friend?”_ Usue blinked rapidly. Since when did demons have ‘friends’? Everything Mateo told her, and everything she read indicated that demons looked out only for themselves and no one else. “Demon’s can have friends?” she asked.

Sartael scowled, “ _Of course_ we can.” He said, as if what she had said was the stupidest thing he had ever heard. “Who told you we couldn’t develop friendships?”

“Mateo.”

“Who?”

“My guardian…the priest.”

Sartael frowned, “I’m not surprised.”

“But a lot of my books also never mentioned anything about relationships…” Usue argued.

The demon scoffed harshly, “Then whoever wrote them was wrong…mostly wrong. Most demons _do_ have the capability to develop friendships and form lasting relationships with our families.” He began to riffle through his pockets for his cigar and matches.

Usue meanwhile, pushed herself away from the fence and frowned at the demon, “Wait… _families?_ You all have _families_?”

Finally finding what he was looking for, Sartael straightened up as well, “Mmm-hmm.” He mumbled as he stuck his cigar in his mouth. He pulled out another and held it in offering to Usue, who scrunched up her nose and shook her head. He shrugged and put it back in his pocket. At least she hadn’t picked up _this_ bad habit.

Usue watched as he lit match and brought it up to light his cigar, “Do you mean ‘families’ as in parents and children?”

Sartael blew out a large puff of smoke, “That’s what I had in mind when I said it.” He brought the cigar to his lips again.

“So…there’s _baby demons_ in Hell?!” Usue asked I wide eyed disbelief.

“ _Plenty_. We need them in order to keep up with the increasing amounts of souls down below.” Sartael explained after another exhale.

“But…but I thought demons were supposed to be fallen angels.”

“The earliest ones were. The rest of us were born down below.”

“Born as in…?”

“…through parents. I just told you that.” Sartael frowned.

Usue shook her head, “No, you just told me there were infants.”

“I did. I also said there were parents.”

“Yes but-”

“How did you think I meant it when I said that families consisted of parents and their offspring?” Sartael asked with another drag.

Usue flinched, feeling like what she was about to say was going to sound stupid, “I…I assumed that…well, you said you were born in the flames of Hell-”

“Yes, because I was.”

“-and so I _assumed_ you meant you literally formed in the flames and then…you were…assigned…to…parents…”she droned off when she saw Sartael’s dumbfounded expression, “I’ve read stranger origin tales from other myths.” She finished lamely.

She was right. She _did_ feel stupid.

“Perhaps other religions work that way, but with _us_ , we reproduce the same way you humans do. Child birth and all.”

Usue starred at him slack jawed, “I…I can’t believe the books got it all wrong.” At Sartael’s raised brow, she continued, “We’ve been told demons _can’t_ reproduce.”

“Another lie humans spread to make themselves feel better. They can’t handle the fact that our numbers grow by the day, nor can they fathom the idea that we take mates to help raise our offspring.” Sartael threw down his cigar and snuffed it out, no longer feeling the urge to finish it.

“Mates…like husbands and wives?” Usue asked.

Sartael nodded and turned to lean his back against the fence, “We don’t have elaborate marriage rituals like humans, so we just choose who we want as a…well…a _mate_ , and then one of us moves in with the other, and from there, it’s only a matter of time till the pitter-patter sound of little feet fill their dwellings.”

“Oh.” Usue joined him in resting against the fence. Her mind was racing at all the new information he had just unloaded on her.

Baby demons? That sounded adorable!

She looked over at Sartael, trying to imagine him as a newborn infant, cradled in a demoness’s arms, or crawling around the floor…

She grinned at the thought, and was barely able to stifle the giggle that followed.

Sartael turned to her, “What?”

Usue shook her head, “The thought of you as a child is… _amusing_ …and cute!” she added hastily when she caught sight of Sartael’s unamused expression.

“I’m sure _you_ were quite the looker.” Sartael grumbled back.

“I meant that as a complement!” Usue argued as she nudged his shoulder.

“Hm.”

The two went silent once more, and simply observed the barren landscape.

“Did you ever have a mate?”

Sartael blinked. The question was sudden and had taken him by surprise. “A mate? Me?” he pointed to himself.

Usue nodded, “Mm-hm.”

The demon took a deep breath as he chose his next words, “No. I’ve never had one.”

“Oh.” Usue scanned the trees in thought, “Not something you were interested in?” she guessed.

Sartael shook his head, “No…no, I’ve thought of taking a mate. I even had one in mind.”

Usue looked up at him, “So what happened?”

 A low growl, “That _blacksmith_ happened.”

“Patxi?”

“ _Yes_.”

“What does _he_ have to do with anything?”

Did Patxi _do_ something to Sartael’s intended mate?

“I came to collect Patxi’s soul as a means to impress my intended. It was _supposed_ to be a simple deal and then a quick retrieval.” Sartael locked eyes with Usue, “ _Never_ did I anticipate the fact that I would get capture and held hostage for eight years!”

Usue deflated in sympathy, “So your future mate…did she…?” Gods, don’t tell her the demoness Sartael was trying to woo got tired of waiting and chose someone else…

If that was the case, her heart went out to the demon even more.

“I gave up on _her_.” Sartael answered. He nudged a stone with his foot, “But it doesn’t matter.” He continued, “I didn’t stand a chance in winning her over anyway.”

Usue shook her head, “I’m sure if-”

“She’s a succubus and _I’m_ …I’m just a common tormenter. She would have never settled for me.” His heart ached as he finally came to terms with what Orobas had tried to tell him all those years ago.

Usue looked at the ground in thought. She didn’t know how the hierarchy worked in Hell, nor did she know what to think of Sartael falling for a _succubus_ of all things, but one thing was for certain. He was hurting over this.

“Maybe…” she started slowly, “maybe it’s for the best that you didn’t get her as a mate. Maybe there’s someone else down there that’s worthy of you.” She smiled at the demon.

Sartael gave a forced smile, “I suppose.”

There was truth in her words.

Maybe it really _wasn’t_ meant to be…

“However, if I _were_ to return to Hell, I get the feeling that I’d still have trouble taking a mate as I’m sure most, if not _everyone_ has heard about my humiliating imprisonment.”

Usue frowned, “You’re just the living incarnate of negativity, aren’t you?”

“I just see the world for what it is.” Sartael shrugged.

That was a lie.

Twenty years ago, Sartael had been _just_ as optimistic as the young human, but then reality hit…

Usue sighed and looked back over the land.  

A thought occurred to her, “Didn’t you say you were going to share your travel tales with me?” she asked, looking for a change of topic.

Sartael turned back to her, “I did.”

“Sooo…can we talk about _that_ now?”

“I thought you would never ask. What do you want to know?”

Usue perked, “Let’s start with, where you’ve been.”

Sartael shifted in his spot, “Why don’t we go take a seat inside? This might take a while.” He jerked his thumb in the direction of the house.

Usue looked at the cottage in thought. Normally, she would argue against enter a home where she would be alone with a man she hardly knew, much less a demon, but something told her that she could trust Sartael and doubt he would try anything.

And if he did, had had no doubt that she couldn’t fight him off.

Usue nodded, “Alright. Lead the way.” She instructed as she followed after the demon.

She looked around at the surrounding woods as Sartael unlocked the door before following him in.

She took a seat on the small, round table in the kitchen and accepted the cup of water he handed her. “Thank you.”

Sartael sat opposite of her and took a sip from his own cup.

“What was the question again?” he asked.

“Where have you been?” Usue repeated, taking her own sip.

Sartael stood up and walked to where he had his satchel hanging and began riffing through it. He came back a moment later with several folded pieces of parchment in his hand.

He took the one labeled ‘SPAIN’, and unfolding it, revealing a map of Usue’s home country.

Usue leaned forward as Sartael pointed to an area in the Northern part of the country. She noticed the small dot that was marked with her village name, ‘Izarra’.

“Obviously, this is where I started,” Sartael explained, “After our last meeting, I was picked up by a passing farmer, and we eventually ended up in Bilbao. There, I spent three months working at a food market, gathering the money I would need to begin my travels.” He traced his finger Northeast, towards France, “From there, I travel through several villages until I crossed over into France.”

He moved the map of Spain, and unfolded another map labeled ‘FRANCE’. “I spent about ten months in France, moving from town to town, sometimes visiting the same city twice. A habit I picked up while traveling to other countries.” Sartael clarified.

“Which towns did you stay in while you were in France?” Usue questioned as she looked over the map.

“There’s too many to name, but I _can_ tell you that I visited the major cities at least once, including Toulouse, Orleans and Paris.”

Usue’s blue eyes locked on Sartael’s brown orbs, “You went to Paris?” she asked excitedly. She had heard so much of the well-known French city, that she vowed that it would be one of the first places she would visit once she got out of Izarra.

Sartael nodded, “It was fine and all, but I don’t understand the fuse you humans make over it.”

Usue shrugged him off and looked at the pile of maps he had beside him, “Where else did you go?”

Sartael looked though the pamphlets and pulled out the one he was looking for. “England.” He announced, opening up the map.  

“ _England_?” Usue repeated, “How was it over there?”

“Pleasant enough that I stayed there for over a year.” Sartael answered.

Usue blinked in awe, “A _year_?”

“Fourteen months, actually.”

“You really _did_ enjoy it.” Usue mused, taking another sip from her cup.

Sartael shook his head, “Not entirely. I stayed mostly because I fell in with another group of travelers that roamed the country, and I really enjoyed their company. I can’t really say the same for the rest of England’s society.”

“What do you mean?” Usue tilted her head.

“Let’s just say that, England has a strong division between the wealthy and…the not so wealthy. Most smaller villages, like this one, were pleasant to stay in, but the larger cities…that’s where the wealthy made it a point to let everyone know that _they_ were rich, and if you were poor, they would remind you of that fact every chance they could.” Sartael scowled, “London was particularly bad. It was noisy, crowded, and it was pure luck that my cohorts and I found any work at all.”

“What kind of work did you find?”

“The men and I ended up working in a factory while the woman traveling with us, found a job assisting an upper-class family with their children. Everywhere else was mostly farm work, or working in shops.”

“Everywhere as in?”

“Liverpool…Manchester…Bristol…” Sartael listed off, “Then of course, there were the various villages I visited.” He pointed to the numerous circled names on the map. “Eventually though, I broke away from the group and moved on to Ireland.”

He opened the next map.

“I stayed there for about seven months, mostly working in potato farms before the famine swept through, and I had to resort to working at taverns. I settled in Dublin at one point, but that provided little pay, so I decided it was time to move on.” He folded the map.

“I’m surprised you actually went to Ireland. I hear they take religion very seriously up there.” Usue commented.

“ _Too_ seriously.” Sartael agreed, recalling the discriminatory backlash he received whenever someone found out his difference in beliefs, or lack thereof. He pulled out a map of Scotland. “After the disaster of Ireland, I moved to Scotland where I spent another seven months working on more successful farms, or fishing for herring.”

Usue perked, “I heard there’s a monster that lives in one of the lakes in Scotland. Is that true?”

“It is.”

Usue’s jaw dropped, “ _There is_?!”

“ _I_ exist, don’t I?” Sartael challenged. Usue nodded. “Then other creatures do too.”

Usue simply nodded again.

He had a point. If demons existed, then what were the chances that other mythical creatures didn’t?

In fact, who’s to say that the other deities from other religions _didn’t_ exist?

“Moving on,” Sartael continued, “After leaving Scotland, I traveled back down through England and eventually ended up in the Netherlands, where I stayed for five months. It’s a relatively small country.” He explained upon seeing Usue’s expression. “It was a pleasant stay and I spent a good portion of my time in Amsterdam as a merchant. Through there, I was able to travel the country, delivering goods.”

He opened a map a Germany, “Germany was one of the countries I truly enjoyed. I started off helping maintain the railroads in different villages. From there I found a job in Berlin, where I was pain to travel the country and write articles on the culture as well as the science and art topics they were teaching at universities. It’s an interesting country and I ended up staying there for a year.”

Usue nodded. She had heard about how well Germany was flourishing and advancing with the time. Many believed that they would even rise above the English and become the dominant country of Europe.

Usue wasn’t sure how to feel about that notion.

She remembered what she read about the Roman empire. How it grew and continued to grow until eventually it fell… _hard_.

And then the English started to expand their empire, only for the same thing to happen to them. And she _knew_ that their loss of their American colonies was still relatively fresh in their minds.

Now, it looked like Germany was getting a big ego and letting the power and attention get to their heads.

‘Hopefully, they learn from other’s mistakes because it would be a real shame if they did something stupid that could hurt their reputation in the future.’ She thought as Sartael his next man. She looked over the circled towns that marked where Sartael had been.

“Austria?”

“Only for about eight months. Nothing really interesting happened there. I helped several families with work and that’s about it.” He opened a map of the Italian territory over it, “After Austria, I went to Italy where I spent thirteen months working in vineyards and orchids. I found a few mediocre jobs in the cities…as well as some that _weren’t_ …so savory.”

Usue’s eyes widened, “…what did you do?”

“Nothing too incriminating. I was hired a few times to shake out some money that someone owed the other.” Sartael assured.

“You didn’t kill anyone or anything…right?”

Sartael shook his head, “No. Just scared them a bit.” Usue raised a brow. “No really!” he insisted.

Usue put up a hand, “Alright. I trust you.”

Sartael folded the map, “After It-”

“Wait! Did you visit the Colosseum?” Usue interrupted.

Sartael paused, “Yes.”

“How was it?”

“Big and old.”

“…oh.”

Sartael shrugged, “I’m sure it was a lot more exciting back in its day.”

“I’m sure it was still nice to _see_ it though.” Usue mused as she rested her chin in her hand.

Sartael tilted his head side to side in thought, “…the architecture _is_ impressive.”

Usue smiled, and the demon continued, “As I was saying, after Italy, I spent four months in Albania. Intentionally, I was just going to pass through to get to Greece, but I found myself hired by an upper-class man who recruited me to escort him around the country for business.”

“Boring.” Usue commented as Sartael unfolded his next map.

“It was a job.” Sartael looked down at the map of Greece, “Greece was no doubt my longest stay. There was so much to see and do, and I’ll admit, the country has a really fascinating history.”

Usue shifted in excitement, “Did you see the temples? Are they still standing?”

Sartael gave a small nod, “I did. But there’s only a handful remining, and they’re falling to ruins. Like the colosseum in Rome, they look nothing like they did in their heyday. In some locations, the temples are marked, but only a few steps and a pillar or two remain in its place.” The demon paused in thought, “I’ll admit, it’s a bit sad how these temples were allowed to fall into such a state.”

Usue nodded along in disappointment, “I’ll bet the gods aren’t happy about it.” She commented, waiting to see if Sartael would confirm or deny their actual existence.

She got her answer not even a second later.

“By what I’ve heard, they aren’t.” Sartael confirmed.  

Usue’s jaw dropped again, “The ancient gods really _do_ exist?”

Sartael frowned, “They’re still around…didn’t you say you prayed to the old gods?”

Usue nodded her head frantically, “I do! It’s just…I…I always assumed that they disappeared after humans stopped worshiping them, but deep down, I always held on to the idea that _maybe_ they were still around, and if they were, then…then maybe it would be worth praying to _them_. I just didn’t know for certain that they _are_ still alive. Does that make sense?” she finished softly as she rubbed her arm.

Sartael nodded slowly, “In a way…yes. That does make sense, and even though I’ve never really met any other deity personally, I’m sure they’re pleased to know you’re thinking of them.”

Usue beamed before another thought occurred to her, “But wait…every religion has their own version of how our world was created…which one-”

“ _That_ itself, is a story not even _I_ have all the details to.” Sartael put up a hand, “All I can say is that when it comes to the creation of the world and how the creatures came to be… _everybody_ wanted credit, so _everybody_ made up their own stories of what happened.”

“But-”

“That’s all I know. That’s all I can say.” The demon’s tone left no room for arguing. What he said was final.

Usue dropped her chin in her hand once more, “Fine.”

“Perhaps someday, you’ll hear the whole story. But _today_ , is not that day. Sorry.” The demon reiterated.

“I get it.” Usue droned.

Sartael pointed to the map of the next country, “I stayed in Turkey for fourteen months, primarily giving humans rides to and from different towns as well as trading materials.” He pulled out a map of Northern Africa. “Egypt took up eight months of my time. My most prominent job involved me assisting a scientist of sorts on his excursions through the pyramids.”

“Are you sure he wasn’t a treasure hunter looking to rob the dead pharaohs?” Usue tested.

The demon shook his head, “No he was genuine. I can tell if someone’s lying.”

Usue smirked, “You would know a lot about lying, wouldn’t you?” she teased. Sartael frowned at her, and she put up her hands in surrender, “Sorry! Please, continue.”

“I did mostly sea work at the ports of Libya for seven months and assisted in delivering goods further inland. I worked in markets for eight months in Algeria, and finally, I roamed Morocco for four months before deciding to return to Spain.” Sartael finished quickly.

Usue blinked. “You’ve been busty these past years.” She mused. “So many countries and territories.” She added as she shuffled through the multiple maps laid out on the table.

“Just keeping myself busy.” Sartael commented. There was much more to his travels than he told her, but if he had recounted _every_ adventure and mishap he had been through, they’d be there for _hours_ , and he honestly didn’t know how much time she could afford to be with him before her overbearing guardians came looking for her.

Those would have to wait for another time.

“So, how long have been back in Spain?” Usue wondered as she swirled the water in her cup.

“About five months. I started in the South, obviously, and I’ve been working my way up North to check up on you.” Sartael finished off the last of his refreshment.

“And where do you plan of going next? After you decide to leave here, I mean.” Usue inquired.

Sartael shrugged, “There’s a lot I haven’t covered in Europe. I’ll probably cover those next…or I’ll travel Africa some more before coming back up and finishing off Europe. After _that_ , I don’t know. I’ll either go East towards Asia, or go West to North America. I haven’t really decided. Too many options.”

Usue’s eyes glazed over at the thought, “So many…” she repeated. The thought of travel sounding all the more appealing. She was tired of simply _reading_ about foreign places, she was ready to _go_ there in person.

Sartael watched the human for a moment as she got lost in her daydreams.

She wanted out, _bad_ , and he didn’t blame her.

However, he couldn’t allow her to just get up and leave without knowing what she was getting herself into or what the world held outside her isolated little village.

Sartael reached forward and gathered his maps, “We should get back out. I’ve still got more work to finish before I can call it a day.” He said as she put the folded pamphlets back into his bag.

“Oh!” Usue blinked, standing when Sartael stood, “Do you need any help?” she offered.

“It’s nothing I can’t handle.” Sartael denied.

Unfortunately, Usue wasn’t one to give up, “I insist! I’ve already finished all of _my_ chores; I don’t mind lending a hand to help you finish yours.” She stared at him expectantly, waiting for his answer.

Sartael sighed. ‘Oh, what the Hell…’

“ _Fine_.” He relented, “If you _really_ don’t mind, then I guess I could use your set of hands.”

Usue smiled as the two moved towards the door.

“You must really enjoy manual labor.” Sartael teased as he held the door open for her.

Usue stepped out, “Not necessarily, but I think I enjoy spending time with you.” She answered, looking up at the demon.

Sartael stepped out of the house, “Oh really?”

“You’re easier to get along with.” Usue replied.

“That’s funny. The first time we met, you didn’t seem to like me all that much.” Sartael quipped as the two walked over to the chicken’s pen.

Usue blushed as she recalled the night of their very first encounter.

“Unfortunately, all I saw was a demon, and by everything I had been taught, I thought you were pure evil.” She admitted.

Sartael scoffed, “I suppose _that_ justifies it.” He answered sarcastically.

“You threatened to tear my head off!”

“I was cornered and I was _trying_ to get the blacksmith to back off! I wasn’t going to _actually_ go through with it! I’m not a _complete_ monster.”

“You threatened to kidnap me and then _dropped_ me on the head!” Usue pointed a finger at the demon.

“ _That_ was an accident. I had full intention to let you go once we made it past the gate.”

“Yeah well…you called me a ‘brat’.”

“Only after you tormented me!”

“ _That_ was to get back at you for threatening me _after_ I set you free the first time! And by the way, I apologized for hurting you, and you _still_ insulted me!”

“I-”

“And let’s not forget, you laughed at the thought of my mother being in Hell.” She crossed her arms and raised her brows, waiting to see how he would respond.

Sartael put up a finger, “I… _you_ …”

“You also betrayed me after I freed you a second time.” Usue pointed out.

Sartael shook his head, “I got you out!”

“It’s your fault I ended up there in the first place! If you had just kept your word, I would’ve _never_ turned to Alastor!” By now, Usue had her hands on her hips.

Sartael stared down at her. “You _know_ why I couldn’t fulfill that part of the bargain.”

Usue glared off to the side.

“But you’re right.” Sartael continued, “It _is_ my fault for getting you down there. I should have never gotten your hopes up, and bargained something I couldn’t deliver. And for that, I apologize.”

Usue turned to him, wide eyed.

A _demon_ was actually apologizing to her? That _had_ to be a first.

Usue smiled, “That’s fine, and again, I apologize for hurting you all those years ago.”

Sartael allowed a small smile, “I already told you. I have problems with my ears.”

Usue giggled with an eye roll, “Sartael-”

A sudden caw made the duo jolt, and they looked up in time to see a large, black raven circle overhead before flying off.

Usue rubbed her arm nervously, “Raven’s aren’t a good omen.” When Sartael looked at her, she elaborated, “They’re usually seen as an omen of death.” Her nerves tingled at the thought, “I keep seeing them…or at least this one. I’m _pretty_ sure it’s the same one.” She fretted and began to wring her apron nervously.

Was this a sign?

Was death in her near future?

Or incredibly bad luck?

“Sartael?” she whimpered, looking to the demon for comfort.

Sartael, who had been staring after the bird, snapped his attention to the human upon hearing her rattled tone, “Death and misfortune are only a couple of ways people can interpret them. Others see them as a symbol of intelligence.”

Usue nodded. She remembered learning about that.

“However,” Sartael lowered his voice, “there are still others that associate raven’s as a witch’s familiar.”

Usue swallowed. She read about that too.

“If you keep seeing ravens around you, or at least, _this_ particular one, then perhaps…” he cut off, looking the young woman over.

Was it possible that Usue really _was_ a witch?

Was that why this bird was following her around?

“Perhaps I should be careful in letting anyone see me with this raven.” Usue finished.

Sartael nodded.

That wasn’t where he was going with it, but that worked too.

“How long have you been seeing the raven?” he asked.

Usue bit her lip in thought, “Uh…physically? About five or six years…I think…”

“ _Physically_?” The demon’s frown had returned.

“I’ve had dreams about ravens…or _the_ raven.” She started, “But the dreams don’t center _around_ it. It’s more like…like it’s part of the scenery, but…it always feels like it _shouldn’t_ be there. It doesn’t _belong_ there!” Usue put her hands to her head in distress. She hadn’t thought about the utter strangeness of it until now.

Her breathing became heavy, and Sartael was quick to place a calming hand on her shoulder, “Usue!”

Usue blinked and looked into Sartael’s eyes.

She forced a smile, “Sorry…that probably sounded silly, and it’s probably nothing.”

Sartael wasn’t too convinced, “How long have you been seeing it in your dreams?” he demanded.

Usue looked down in thought, “I…as long as I can remember.”

“Since you were a child?” Sartael guessed.

Usue nodded slowly, “That’s the earliest I can recall.”

“Before or after you met me?”

Usue thought hard. She remembered being three years old and telling Blanca of the big, black bird that kept followed her around in her dreams. She remembered how a rattled Mateo insisted that she not talk about such things, and how he and Blanca were quick to hang several more crosses in her room, in an attempt to stop the strange dreams from happening. She remembered her guardians asking her the following day if she had any other dreams about the bird, and she recalled how she insisted that she hadn’t, even though she _had_. She remembered lying to them because she was afraid of how afraid _they_ looked when she told them the first time, and thought she would be in trouble if she admitted that she had seen the strange bird again.

“Usue!” Sartael’s firm voice jolted her back.

“Uh…before!” she answered, “Three’s the earliest _I_ can remember, but I may have had them earlier than that. I don’t know.”

Sartael eyed her in thought, his mind reeling.

There was _no way_ this was a coincidence.

She was having these dreams and seeing these birds for a reason, and someone or _something_ was behind it.

 _Or_ …

Or could it be that Usue really _was_ a witch?

 


	5. Witchy Theories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sartael tries to get to the bottom of Usue's possible abilities, but someone may be watching the couple from the shadows of the woods.

 

The following silence made Usue uneasy.

She knew the reoccurrence of her childhood dreams were eerie and unsettling, Blanca and Mateo’s reactions attributed to that fact, but never did she think they were strange enough to receive concern from a _demon_.

It didn’t help that said demon was looking off into the distance as if deep in thought. As if he was trying to put things together.

It was enough to twist her stomach in anxiety…

“Sartael? What’s wrong?” she fretted softly, “What does it mean?”

The demon’s eyes snapped back to her, making her flinch at his intense gaze.

Sartael was still trying to figure out what it all meant.

Usue had been seeing and having dreams about ravens since she was a child…since _before_ she met him…

He sighed.

“It could mean several things.” He answered as he guided her to the pen where the chicken and roosters were clucking away.

“Alright…” Usue said slowly, subtly prying him to continue.

Sartael grabbed a sack of chicken feed from the fence and emptied in into a nearby bucket. He held it out to Usue in offering, and she took a hand full before tossing the grain into the pen. He did the same, and they watched as the birds pecked at their meal.

“So, what does it mean to keep seeing the raven for as long as I have?” Usue prodded once more.

Sartael tossed in another handful, “Well, it _could_ mean that you truly _are_ a witch. The dreams from your childhood could mean that you’ve been once since birth and your mind may have been subtly informing you of your eventual familiar. That fact that you’re seeing it _now,_ physically, may be an indication that your abilities are getting stronger, or at the very least, they’re awakening. Familiars are the ones that seek out witches. That’s probably why this one latched on to you.”

“My abilities? Since _birth_?” Usue asked in awe.

Was it possible that the demon was right? That she was a natural born witch?

Was her mother a witch?

If so, had the trait been passed down from mother to daughter?

Or was it possible that she could have gotten in from her _father_? Could _he_ have been a wizard?

“How many other rituals have you performed since you’ve taken interest in this…practice?” Sartael inquired as he tossed in some more food.

Usue shrunk down embarrassment, “Uh…none…I just read up on the material and gathered supplies when I could. Last night would have been my first _anything_.” She confessed.

Sartael stared at her incredulously, “You skipped right to a demon summoning without practicing anything else?! No spells or incantations or potions… _nothing?!_ ”

Usue scowled, “I told you, it’s not like I can easily practice in the village!”

“But you were going to call upon _Prince Orobas_?”

“I think you know by now how I’ve fallen on some rather desperate times…” Usue answered.

“ _Indeed_ , you have.” Sartael growled back. How could this girl be so _stupid?_ Witch or no witch, was as she _trying_ to get herself killed?

“Of _all the rituals_ you could have gotten caught doing, you chose to risk your reputation, and maybe even your _life_ , over a demon ritual?! What if it hadn’t been _me_ that caught you last night? The least you could have done was practice on a good luck spell or a healing potion or _something!_ ” the demon scolded.

Usue obviously didn’t enjoy his tone as she frowned, “It’s not often that I’m followed into the woods, and on the rare times that I am, I know how to use the or the cover of darkness to lose them. And besides,” she continued with a glare, “I don’t plan on staying in the village much longer anyway!”

Sartael opened his mouth to argue, only to shut it again. They had gone off topic.

They were supposed to be getting to the bottom or Usue’s mysterious raven, _not_ arguing about how reckless she had been for trying to invoke Orobas without having any other experiences in magic.

He brought up his fingers to massage his temples, “There’s so much I want to say about that, but that’ll be a conversation for a later time. Right now, lets get back on track about your raven.”

Usue exhales sharply through her nose, “Alright. You said there were ‘several’ reasons to why I’m seeing the raven. What are the other ones?”

Sartael tossed in several more handfuls of feed before handing the brown sack to Usue. She held it opened as he poured the remaining food into the bag.

“My other theory is that _someone_ sent the bird to watch over you…or the bird _is_ someone that is following you around.” He took the bag, tied it off and walked back over to the house.

Usue followed after him, “Wait…someone’s _following_ me?”

Well, if _that_ wasn’t an unnerving thought…

“It’s a theory.” Sartael asserted as he held up a finger in defense.

Usue shook her head, “So you mean, I might not even _be_ a witch, but there might be one stalking _me_?”

What Sartael said didn’t sound too farfetched as there were plenty of tales and other accounts of witches or wizards and the likes taking the form of animals to get around undetected. But if that was the case, then why would someone be perusing her, or at the least, sending their familiar out to watch over her? What was the point of it all?

Sartael took in Usue’s confusion and shrugged, “Something about you must have caught their interest.” He offered.

“Since I was an infant?” Usue asked skeptically.

“You don’t know it was that far back.” Sartael quipped.

“My memory goes far enough to assume it’s been happening since the beginning.” The woman argued.

The demon tilted his head side to side, as if considering her claim, “I suppose it _is_ possible. If that _is_ the case, well…I can’t say why they would be after you in the first place.” He paused in thought as he opened the home and tossed the chicken feed onto the nearby table before closing and locking the door once more. “By any chance…do you know if your mother ran afoul with anyone before your birth? Or knew anyone that may have seemed… _odd_ in the way people define sorceresses?”

Usue gave a harsh ‘Ha!’, “The villagers and my guardians have nothing but negative things to say about my mother, and most of them still revolve around the fact that she took her own life. They don’t talk about anything else other than that.”

Sartael ‘hmmed’, “That sort of information could have been crucial to this little mystery.”

Usue perked, “All the more reason to-”

“ _No_.”

Usue deflated.

It was obvious that he wasn’t going to let her try anything while he was around. She huffed, “So what now?”

“Now we make assumptions that your mother either got on the wrong side of a witch, and with her out of the way, they’re coming to finish _you_ off-”

“ _Sartael_!”

“- _or_ , she knew or had close relations with someone, maybe a friend or a family member that _has_ magical properties, and they’re keeping a distant eye on you.” The demon finished.

Family? That was a laugh.

If she had any other family, where were they? Why hadn’t they come to claim her after hearing of her parents’ deaths, instead of leaving her in the village where no one wanted her.

“I don’t think I _have_ any close family members. If I did, they would have come for me long ago. Same for any close friends my parents would have had.” The young woman bit out.

Sartael fell silent.

No known family or friends of the family. Right then…

“And I don’t suppose you know anything about your father either…” Sartael pressed.

As expected, Usue shook her head, “People don’t talk about him either. The few times they do, they either praise him for trying to save me, or condemn him for seducing my mother.” Her jaw clenched at the thought. The village hated her and her family. Plain and simple.

“Ah.” Was Sartael’s reply.

“Any other ideas of what the raven has to do with me?” Usue wondered as she crossed her arms and stood before the demon.

Sartael sighed, “Well…the only other thing I can think is that you’re a witch, _and_ there’s a witch watching you, but…that still doesn’t bring us any closer to an answer.”

“A dead end.” Usue summarized.

Sartael shook his head slowly, “Not…necessarily.” He said slowly. Usue perked in curiosity. “There could be some details we’re missing. Maybe there was something out of the ordinary from your childhood that you over looked.”

Usue’s eyes lit up, “That could be possible.” She admitted.

Sartael placed a hand on her back and led her to where Lorenzo’s second, smaller cart was stationed. “Here.” He said as he helped her up onto the seat.

Usue blushed when she felt his hands on her waist as he assisted her.

The demon hopped up and settled himself next to her. “What’s wrong?” he asked, taking in her flushed face.

“Nothing.” Usue answered with a soft smile, “I’m just not used to being touched.”

Despite what some villagers thought, Usue had never slept with _anyone,_ and was nowhere near being a ‘whore’ as Lucia liked to claim.

So, to be touched so far South, was…a new experience.

Never mind the fact that the touch was completely innocent and was done by a demon that she was starting to see purely as a friend.

Usue mentally shook the thought from her head. Unlike her peers, she hadn’t giving into her urges during her teen years, and she certainly wouldn’t give into them now. Especially not to Sartael…

Looking for a distraction, Usue glanced behind them, “Who’s cart is this?” she wondered. Eyeing the covered materials that were placed in the hold.

“It’s Lorenzo’s. Apparently, he uses it for smaller hauls, or if he’s going to be on the road for a while, he uses this one to carry luggage and supplies while someone else steers the larger one. This delivery they’re on isn’t going to be long, so they only took the larger one.” Sartael explained.

“Now,” Sartael adjusted himself in his seat, “Looking as far back as you can, was there ever anything out of the ordinary in your early childhood?”

Usue closed her eyes in thought, “Other than the dreams, I can’t recall anything else strange…not at first anyway. I was always a bit… _odd_ as opposed to the other kids. At least, that’s what parents would whisper to their children, which was why I always ending up playing by myself. During those times alone, I don’t remember ever being approached by a stranger or anything.”

Sartael nodded in thought. “You were a loner.” He mused.

Usue nodded.

“And during those times, you don’t remember feeling any sort of power resonating within you, or maybe there was a time you unintentionally released some form of magic without you knowing?” he pried.

Usue furrowed her lip, “…in what way?”

Sartael shrugged, “Oh I don’t know…maybe you got angry at one point and something flew across the room without you touching it, or something broke in the next room over from where you were despite no one actually being in the room. That sort of thing.”

“Basically, things happening because of me, but without me _wanting_ them to happen.” Usue reiterated slowly.

“So you _do_ know the meaning of ‘accidental’.” A playful slap on the arm was his response.

“Well,” Usue started, “I think I’ve ever made object fly or break, but I do remember one of the mother’s in the village berating me on not wanting to attend mass, and giving my guardians a hard time with my defiance, and of course, she brought up my mother and how I was going to end up in Hell like her and so on and so forth. She said so many other things, and I honestly can’t even remember the real reason why she came after me. All I know is that at that moment, I wished something bad would happen to her, and a few days later, she ended up breaking her leg.”

“Damn.” Sartael breathed.

“Does that count? I mean, it did start some rumors among the other children that I had cursed the boy’s mother.” Usue pressed. That was the day Ana started to suspect that Usue was some sort of unholy offspring.

Sartael pursed his lips in thought, “It might…but it also sounds like a simple coincidence. That or, some deity answered your prayers.”

Usue scoffed, “Or someone’s idea of a joke to make me look bad.” Upon the demon’s prying look, she explained, “Everyone started whispering that she upset me, and I jinxed her.” She sighed and rubbed her hands in thought, “After that, I started to go to the one place I could really be alone and not have to hear everyone whispering about me.”

“The woods.” Sartael stated.

Usue nodded.

“I’ve spent hours out there. Playing with my doll. Making friends with some of the animals out here.”

Sartael laughed, “ _Animals_?”

 “Well…maybe not ‘friends’ exactly, but we’ve gotten used to each other over time.” She perked and gripped the edge of her seat in excitement, “I held a snake once!” she beamed at the demon beside her.

“Did you?” Sartael inquired, somewhat impressed that a human _woman_ would hold such a creature, especially since humans usually feared them.

Usue nodded, “It was the day before I met you. I was having a picnic in the woods, and I had just set it down when one of the village boys threw a rock and killed it.” She scowled at the memory of the senseless killing.

Benito claimed it was about to bite her, but she knew otherwise.

By her recollection, the serpent seemed like it was more interested in leaving, than it was in striking her. Even while in her grasp, the reptile didn’t seem all that distressed, and simply flicked its tongue at her in the usual way snakes always do when investigating something new.

It was completely innocent.

But of course, Benito just _had_ to play the ‘hero’, all in an attempt to impress her.

An attempt, that failed miserably…

“It was such a gentle little thing.” Usue reminisced.

“Did it approach you on its own, or did _you_ seek it out?” Sartael questioned.

“It came to _me_. It slithered right onto my blanket.”

Sartael nodded slowly. ‘Interesting…’

“Had any other animals approached you so willingly besides the serpent?”

Usue went silent as she thought back to that day and the years before that.

She remembered how the village animals always took a certain liking to her, and her to them.

Chickens tended to flock around her and cats and dogs always seemed to want to _her_ to pet them. Blanca said that Usue just had a way with animals, and for the longest time, Usue agreed with her. And for the longest time, her guardians didn’t seem to have a problem with it.

That was until one particular feline came along.

Usue had been running errands around the village with Blanca, and while the elder woman was busy purchasing their usual supply of eggs, Usue caught sight of a pretty black cat gazing at her from the shadows of a nearby alley. 

Automatically, Usue’s interest had been peeked, and after seeing that her guardian was busy with the shopkeeper, she cautiously approached the feline. She had been tempted to pet it, but Blanca and Mateo had always warned her about touching animals she didn’t know, especially if it were a wild animal. Obviously, this cat didn’t look like any woodland creature, but at the same time, it didn’t look like any of the locally owned cats in the village. Playing it safe, Usue settled for simply breaking of a small piece of the loaf of bread she had been carrying, and tossed it near the animal.

As expected, the cat didn’t take the offering, and simply blinked at the small morsel before returning its gaze to the young girl. Instead, a loose chicken swooped in to take the crumb, and for a second, Usue feared that the cat would pounce and make a meal out of the bird, but to her surprise, the ebony cat merely watched, in what Usue could have sworn was amusement, as the bird quickly took its leave with its prize.

Blanca’s sharp call made the feline sprint away before the elder woman could see it.

That had been her first encounter with the strange cat.

For several months, the pure black cat would come and go from the village, and during that time, Usue seemingly gained its trust.

It got to the point that the cat would curl on her lap, purring as she ran her hand through it’s surprisingly soft and clean fur.

Usue was sure the friendship would have continued had Blanca not panicked at the sight of the ‘devil cat’ and chased it away. After that, Usue never saw her furry friend again.

She still hadn’t forgiven Blanca for her over reaction.

Still…the cat’s odd fixation on her _was_ rather strange…

The intelligence it sometimes displayed was also something that she could now bring into investigation.

“…There was a cat…” she finally admitted.

“A cat?”

“Yes. A black one.”

Sartael huffed.

 _Of course_ it would be a _black_ cat…

“And what’s-?” he paused, his eyes scanning the surrounding forest.

Why did it feel like they were being watched?

He gave a small sniff, but found nothing out of the ordinary. None the less, he would have to remain alert.

The sniff didn’t go unnoticed by the human beside him.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I think we’re being watched.” Sartael answered quietly.

“Watched?” Usue glanced around in panic. Had she been followed? And if so, by who? Benito? Lucia? _Blanca_?

Usue shook her head, no…no it couldn’t be her. She would have stormed over by now, yelling and fussing and making a scene, and would have no doubt pulled her off the cart before dragging her away, effectively embarrassing her in front of Sartael. There was just no way she would just stand behind a tree or a bush and just _stare_ at them in silence.

Benito, in all his jealousy, would have squared off with Sartael by now, and if it _had_ been Lucia or one of her lackies, they would have made their presence known by gloating on how they were going to inform Mateo and Blanca of her ‘scandalous’ behavior of consorting with the unknown man.

Sartael on the other hand, was more concerned of the possibility of it being another demon scouting the area, possibly trying to determine whether or not he was the demon he had been sent to retrieve.

He shivered at the thought.

“We should go someplace more private.”

“Back in the house?” Usue guessed.

“No.” Sartael shook his head and lowered his voice, “We’ll go to the cottage I’m staying. The owners had some errands to do, so the place should be empty.” He hopped off the seat and reached up to help her down.

Usue rested her hands on his shoulders, and blushed once more when he took her by the waist and carried her down.

“Thank you.” She mumbled.

Sartael simply grunted before turning back to the pig and chicken pens. “We should put them away.” He announced.

Usue glanced over, “Alright. How-”

“You take care of the hens. I’ll handle the pigs.” Sartael answered.

Usue looked over the large hogs that milled about in the mud, “Are you sure? I don’t mind helping.” She offered, thinking that there was no way Sartael would manage to get them into the small, barn like structure on his own.

Sartael shook his head, “I’ve got my methods of getting the job done.” He assured with a smirk before handing her the key to Lorenzo’s home and pointing in the structure’s direction, “You’re going to need the chicken feed again.”

Usue gave a confused jolt, “Why?”

“Chicken’s are creatures of habit, and Lorenzo taught them how to enter the coop almost on command.” He said.

“Really?” Usue looked at the birds. She had always seen other chicken owners corral their birds with sticks or canes, nudging them in the direction they wanted them to go. “What does he do?”

“He goes into the pen with the bag, and once he’s sure all the hens are watching, he pours a pile of the feed into the coop, and then they all run in.” Sartael explained.

Usue narrowed her eyes skeptically, “Really? That’s all there is to it?”

“That’s all.” Sartael confirmed.

Usue eyed the demon for a moment, only to see that he looked completely genuine. “Okay…” she breathed as she turned and made her way back to the house. She had a feeling that Sartael was messing with her, but she didn’t know for certain, given that he looked so serious as he explained it.

And besides, who’s to say that it wouldn’t work?

Maybe Lorenzo really _did_ manage to come up with an easier way to herd chickens.

‘It wouldn’t hurt him to share the knowledge.’ Usue thought as she unlocked the door. Upon entering, she grabbed the bag of feed before leaving and locking up again.

The sound of a sharp, high pitched whistle caught her attention, and she quickly made around the house and looked in the direction of the pig pen. There, she saw Sartael looking over the fence at the hogs, who all seemed to have stopped whatever they were doing, and were now staring at the demon, almost as if they were suddenly mesmerized by his presence.

Usue was about to ask what was going on when Sartael suddenly hopped the fence and carefully maneuvered around the muck and filth until he reached the mini stall. There, he opened the door, and without any command, the pigs all filed into their enclosure, snorting the whole way, but not really putting up much of a fuss.

The woman’s jaw dropped in awe as the disguised demon shut and locked the door before turning and smirking in her direction.

She moved to meet him as he hopped back over the fence, “… _how_ did you _do_ that?” She looked from him, to the barn, to him again.

“Do what?” Sartael asked in mock confusion.

“ _That_! The whistle thing and then… _how_?”

Sartael leaned closer, his smirk still present, “It’s a demon thing.” He said lowly.

He may not have been good at tempting humans, but at least he could still influence animals and bend them to his will…even if it was involuntary on their part.

Usue stared up at him in awe, “That’s amaz- wait…what about us being watched?” she looked around in panic, hoping that whoever was spying on them didn’t see that little display.

“What about it?” Sartael asked mindlessly.

Usue blanched, “Well…aren’t you worried that someone saw the pigs obey you without any commands? They might get the wrong idea…or right idea…” she said softly.

“What I did wasn’t out of the ordinary. Plenty of people send animals commands through gestures or sounds that don’t include words. I met a man in England, who would snap his fingers, and his dog would sit at the nonverbal command. If he could do that, who’s to say that these animals haven’t been trained to go into their home at the sound of a whistle?” Sartael clarified.

“Oh!” That actually made a lot of sense, and could make for a reasonable explanation should anyone have seen it and brought it up later.

“Well?” Sartael inquired.

“Well what?”

“Aren’t you going to take care of the chickens?” The demon’s smirk had returned.

Usue looked at the bag, and then looked over at the clucking birds in their pen. A sudden thought hit her, “Why don’t you just do the trick again?”

“Because I already did my share, so now it’s time you did yours.” The smirk had faded into a simple smile, but hints of mischief was still there.

“But it would be so much faster if _you_ did it.” She insisted.

“It would, but I already told you what to do, and I want to see _you_ do it.”

Usue scanned his face. His eyes looked genuine, but his lips…

She honed in on his lips. They were still pulled into a friendly smile, but the second he noticed where she was looking, his lips pursed, and the corners quivered as if he was struggling to hold back a laugh.

Usue lit up in triumph, “You _ass_!” she laughed as she shoved the sack of chicken feed into Sartael’s chest.

Sartael laughed as he grabbed the sack before it fell, “What?”

“There is no ‘trick’ is there?” she pointed a finger at him, her humorous smile still present, “You just wanted to make me look stupid!”

Sartael rolled his eyes with a dramatic sigh, “Yes. You caught me. I was hoping for an easy set up to laugh at _you_ for once.” He admitted.

And could one blame him?

It had been so _long_ since he had someone to mess around like this, he just couldn’t help but set her up for a minor prank. To be fair though, she should have suspected it sooner. If were _that_ easy to herd chickens, humans would have used that tactic _centuries_ ago.

He gave a final laugh before clearing his throat and handing her the sack once more, “All jokes aside, I’ll handle the birds. You can put this back and bring me my satchel. We’ll take off from there.”

Usue took the bag and left with her smile still present.

As she left, Sartael went to the chicken pen, stepped over the three-foot-high fencing, and gave another sharp whistle.

Like the pigs, the hens all stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to him. He then stepped around the birds and opened the coop door.

‘ _In._ ’ he ordered telepathically.

The birds clucked softly as they sauntered into their dwellings.

Sartael closed and locked the small door just as Usue came jogging up with his bag and key.

“Ready?” she asked, handing him the items.

“Ready.” Sartael answered as he stepped out of the pen. He made to leave when he suddenly stopped. He held an arm out to stop his human companion as well, “I still don’t know if anyone is watching us or not.” He whispered, “If there _is_ , lets avoid saying anything about demons or witches or anything of the sort. Got it?” Usue nodded. “Good.”

With that, the duo left the property and made their way to Sartael’s temporary residence.

** Phineas and Nora’s Cottage **

The walk to the cottage had been uneventful, and the two had hardly spoken during the trek, preferring to remain in silence in fear of letting something slip.

That and Sartael insisted on the silence so that he could keep an ear out for anyone that may be following them. Once or twice, he did hear a twig snap or a bush rustle, but in the end, it always ended up being a squirrel or some other small critter.

Every so often, Sartael would give a sniff, but could never catch any human scents other than Usue.

Eventually, they made it to the cottage, and as Sartael had guessed, the home was empty for the time being.

Usue sat heavily in one of the kitchen chairs, relieved that the tension was gone, and they could relax and talk in peace.

“This is a… _charming_ little place they’ve got here.” Usue mused as she glanced around the cabin.

“It’s nice.” Sartael agreed as he handed her a mug filled with water, “And the owners are easy to get along with.”

“I’ll bet.” Usue noted. She took a long swig of the drink. It had been an awfully warm afternoon, and the two were parched and a bit on the sweaty side after the walk.

Sartael took a couple of sips from his drink, “So…the cat.” He started as he rotated the cup in thought.

It took Usue a moment to realize what he was talking about, “Oh! Yes. I was five at the time, and I was running errands with Blanca when I first saw the cat. My foster mother was busy with the store keep, and I got bored and wondered out, and that’s when I saw it sitting in an alley across from where the shop was. At first, it didn’t really respond to me, but after about two months, I _literally_ had it eating out of the palm of hand, and it got to the point that it would follow me almost everywhere I went, save for the church. If _never_ went in, which was _fine_ as my guardians wouldn’t have allowed me to keep it anyway.”

Sartael nodded in thought, “Is it still around?”

“Blanca saw it following me one day, and chased it away. That was the last time I ever saw it.” Usue looked down at her drink, “Mateo was upset when Blanca told him about it that night. They were convinced I was laced with bad luck and did this whole cleansing ritual on me, and like I said, I never saw the cat again.” She looked back up at the demon, “Do you think that could have been another familiar?”

“Could be. Were there any other animals or incidents after that?” Sartael pressed.

“The only other incident was meeting _you_.” Usue replied.

Sartael cringed, “And that’s when you started seeing the raven.”

Usue shook her head, “Not immediately. After you left, I started…well… _you know_.” She gave a sheepish grin.

Sartael sighed. When he met her twelve years ago, he never would have thought that his mere existence would have influenced her so greatly, and in such a negative way. Unlike some other demons, it was never in his interest to seduce _children_ into the occult and damn themselves in the afterlife. But apparently, that was exactly what happened with Usue.

“I’m sorry my presence had such a negative impact on you.”

Usue, who had been glancing around the cabin again, swirled her head in his direction after hearing his apology, “What do you mean?”

“If I had never shown you my true form, I don’t think you would have ever taken such a strong interest in my species and our lore.” Sartael looked out the window that faced the woods.

Usue followed his gaze and gave a tiny smile, “It would have happened sooner or later. I was never close to the church to begin with.”

“But I doubt you would have been pushed to this extent! If anything, I brought it on faster…you were just a child when we met!” Sartael visibly sunk down in his sink.

Usue reached out and rested a comforting hand on his arm, “It’s fine. I don’t regret meeting you, and I don’t regret anything I’ve done now.”

“ _Not yet_.” The demon argued.

“Then I’ll deal with it when the time comes.” Usue retorted stubbornly.

Sartael gave a low growl as he rubbed a hand down his face in exasperation.

She wasn’t _getting_ it!

Usue squeezed the arm she was still touching, “Sartael. I knew the risks when I got into witchcraft as well as when I turned to the other gods. I knew the risks and later consequences when I decided to go out and try to invoke Or- _Prince_ Orobas. But, I’m a big girl, and I can handle myself. And yes, I’ll admit that my curiosity peaked after meeting you, but my choice to pursue this interest was my own. You have nothing to feel guilty about.” She smiled at him before releasing her hold.

Sartael sighed as he looked her over. It was obvious that he wasn’t going to get through to her. Not _now_ at least.

“How did you even manage to get the books and materials you needed? I doubt it would be easy to come by such items in a village like _this_.” He furrowed his brows.

Usue’s smile took a mischievous tone, “When I turned ten, I started earning an allowance for good behavior and for helping with chores around the church and village. My guardians figured it would be a good way to get me to behave and stay out of trouble.”

“Bribery.” Sartael noted, though he held a hint of a smile.

Usue shrugged, “Call it what you want, but it got me easy money.” She took another sip from her drink, “At first, I would save up for new dresses or to buy my own bread or fruits from the markets. As I got older, I started saving up more often as Blanca and Mateo would take trips to meet other priests from the nearby villages, and I thought I could do some shopping while they were busy. Well, when I was twelve, I went on one of these trips, and while my guardians were occupied with the other nuns and priest, I left to explore the village and I ended up finding a small book shop. There I found a book on old myths and legends and I just knew I had to have it. I struck a bargain with the shop owner, and I left with my first pagan book, hidden among the other goods in my satchel. Of course, I had to hide it in the bottom of my wardrobe when I returned home.”

“And the other books?” Sartael pressed, “You had quite the selection down there.”

“The myth and pagan books were purchased in the same manner. I would find them in shops in the villages, or in some cases, villagers, who had heard of my interests, would seek me out when I would come to visit and we would haggle a price in which they would sell me an old book that they no longer had interest in. This was all done in secret of course. Blanca and Mateo wouldn’t have allowed me to make such purchases, especially if they on such topics that went against the teachings of the church.” She explained.

“And is that how you came into possession of the demonology books as well?” Sartael guessed.

Usue shook her head, “No. I came into possession of those during my teen years, and those were done in a much shadier fashion.”

“In…what way?”

“During one of my visits, I discovered that the local shop owner had a more…private selection of books hidden from view from regular patrons. I don’t know what led to it, but he offered to show me his selection, and I took him up on that offer. As it turned out, that’s how I laid eyes on my first, official book on demonology. Yes, Mateo had his own books on demons, but they were more on how to avoid or vanquish them. _This_ one described the demons in Hell, and your lore.” She paused, “I can show the books if you want.”

“Perhaps later.” Sartael waved a hand, “So, that’s where you got your occult books? From this shop keeper?”

Usue shook her head again, “Not all of them. Apparently, many shop owners have their own secret stash hidden in their shops. All higher in price, since they _are_ on dark matters.”

“And it never occurred to you that one day, one of them may turn you in?” Sartael tested.

“The thought did occur to me, but I think in the end, if it meant making a large sale, they would stay quiet, and by what one of the shop owners told me, there is a surprising amount of people that have a fascination in the dark arts as well.” Usue pushed the cup away, no longer interested in the drink.

“So, anyone can go in and ask for books on dark materials.” Sartael stated. Had it really gotten _that_ easy to get one’s hands on such things?

“If you knew about the books, then yes. That’s why it was preferred not to ask about the selection unless the shop was empty.”

“And the other materials?”

“I bought them here in the village. I’ve had to do extra work around the village to earn the money to buy everything.”

“And nobody questions what your doing with the money?”

“They all think I’m saving up for when I leave town and join my own monastery.” She paused, “They’re right about _one_ thing.”

“What’s that?” Sartael wondered, already knowing the answer.

“As soon as I’m ready, I’m _out of here_.” A look of defiance crossed her face, “But _I’m_ taking charge of my life. I’m going out there to do what _I_ want to do.”

“It’s not as easy to live out there as it seems.” Sartael warned.

Usue scowled, “I know _that_ , but I’ll take my chances.” When Sartael opened his mouth to argue, she continued, “I’m just so _sick_ of living here!”

Sartael jumped at her outburst.

“Things have never been good for me, what with my mother hanging herself and burning in Hell.” She rolled her eyes at this, “And then we found out about you, and then Alastor came along…” Sartael visibly cringed, the guilt was obviously back, “and after that…after that, when word got out that I was taken to Hell because of my deal with Alastor, people seemed to dislike me even more, even after your threat.”

“So you’ve told me.” Sartael commented before taking another drink. 

The woman bristled, “I was harassed shortly before meeting you today. Some girls have been accusing me of sleeping with demons in the woods.”

Sartael chocked on his drink and went into a coughing fit. “Wh-at?” he wheezed before another wave of coughs overtook him.

Usue giggled at his reaction before composing herself, “In the woods. People think I’m-”

“I heard what you said.” Sartael hissed as he wiped the water off his face, “I meant, _why_ would they think that?”

Usue shrugged, “Because of the whole ‘witches and demons are closely associated with each other’. They think you or Alastor are my ‘masters’, and as such, I _must_ be having intimate nights with you or someone down below.”

Sartael shivered, “It doesn’t work like that. Most witches aren’t even associated with demons, and those that are don’t always give themselves to demons like that. Some do, obviously, but those are the usual the overly lusty ones. In other cases, though it’s said that platonic love was involved.”

“I’m guess the incubi are the culprits behind both those cases.” Usue folded her arms and resting them on the table.

“Not always. Incubus and Succubus are a different story, but that’s a discussion for another day. When it comes to humans, demons of any rank can mate with them. It can be a prince, or it could be a low-level tormentor such as myself. Incubi aren’t the only ones that get to have all the fun, but again, I’ll go into detail about that _later_.” Sartael rested his elbow on the table and his chin on his palm.

Usue stared at him as she processed all this information, “Has Alastor ever…” she would never voluntarily give herself to Hell’s executioner, but she didn’t know if the same could be said for him. For all she knew, he could come up here any day and force himself on her in revenge for everything she’s done to him.

It truly was a terrifying thought…

Sartael gave a weak shrug, “I’m sure he has. He likes to act so calm and collected down below, but everyone knows he has his favorite succubi that he calls into his chambers whenever he needs to relieve the built up ‘ _stress’_. If he’s willing to do that, then I’m sure he has no problem spending the night in a witch’s bed if she begs hard enough.”

Usue fought to hold down the bile that threatened to rise up her throat, “Do…do you think there was _actually_ any sort of-”

“I don’t think he’s capable of love.” Sartael answered swiftly.

“That’s what I thought.” Usue concluded. “And you?” she asked as she casually looked down and began doodling imaginary images on the table.

“And me what?”

“Did you ever…spend the night with anyone?”

Sartael shook his head, “I was too busy chasing after my intended mate to even think about bedding someone else.”

“But during your travels? I’m sure there was plenty of women that took interest.” Usue locked eyes with him. It really wasn’t any of her business, but she couldn’t help but be curious.

Sartael shifted, “There were, but none of them aroused me enough to initiate a romp around the sheets… _and_ I didn’t want to risk leaving behind any accidental cambions in my wake.”

Usue flushed, “Yeah…I’m sure that would have been _quite_ a surprise for the mothers.”

“A surprise that wouldn’t last long. The second the mothers would have found out _what_ their infants were, they would’ve taken them to the church where they would be exterminated.” Sartael growled thinking back on the young cambion souls that were sent to Hell shortly after their discovery. Some were mere infants, while others were children that had begun to show demonic traits.

Once in Hell, the offspring of high-ranking demons would be revived and made into full demons. Any spawn from the lower ranks would remain in a nursery of sorts, away from the other souls that dwelled in the First Circle. It wasn’t much, but at the very least, it put the grieving fathers at ease knowing they could still see their murdered offspring.

If only humans could understand just how much pain a demon could actually feel…

Usue watched the demon sitting across from her, “That’s kind of sad.”

“It _is_ sad.”

“Sorry! I mean; that _is_ sad.” She corrected. “I don’t blame you for not wanting to risk that sort of thing happening.”

The sound of the door unlocking caught their attention.

“That must be Phineas and Nora. I guess they called it a day early.” Sartael explained.

Usue worriedly looked at the door, wondering if it was alright to be here without being invited by the home’s actual owners.

She was about to voice her concern when the door finally opened, revealing Phineas.

The old man paused at the doorway, taking in the young couple that sat at the kitchen table.

“Oh! Itzal, I didn’t know you would be back early.” He looked at Usue, “And with a friend.” He smiled at the young woman. Usue timidly smiled in return.

“What’s that dear?” A woman’s voice sounded out before Nora’s face appeared around her husband’s shoulder. She lit up the second she caught sight of the younger girl, “Usue! It’s so nice to see you, dear!” she moved past her husband, and Usue stood up to greet her.

“It’s good to see you too.” Usue replied. She could hear Sartael get up from his seat as well.  

Nora took Usue’s hands in her own and was beaming in excitement, “It’s also good to finally meet you…officially. The times we spoke were only in passing, and everything I’ve heard about you were from the mouths of the other villagers, and I think we _all_ know how unreliable gossip could be.” She rolled her eyes at this.

Usue gave a nervous chuckled, “Yes…I’m…I’m sure there’s been some stretching of the truth going around. Uh…out of curiosity, what exactly _have_ you heard about me?”

Gods, if she was talking about the rumors Ana and Lucia were spreading around, then she swore she was going to die then and there…

Nora shook her head dismissively, “Oh don’t worry dear, Phineas and I can discern the truth from the lies. And believe me, the truth we _could_ find, impressed us _immensely_.”

Usue froze, wondering if they were talking about her little ‘visit’ to Hell, and if they were going to mention it in front of their ‘human’ guest…though to be honest, she wouldn’t be surprised if Santi and his men had already filled ‘Itzal’ in on the town’s past with demons.

Seeing the girl’s reaction, Nora gave one of her hands a gentle pat, “We won’t go into detail of what we learned, but I _will_ say that you’re a very strong young woman.” She glanced back at her husband, “ _Very_ strong.”

Usue and Sartael shared a confused look.

What was _that_ about?

Phineas approached her with a warm smile, “I thought as much when I first saw her.” He agreed, “It’s the way you carry yourself. So much confidence.” He explained at her confused expression.

“Oh! Well…thank you!” Usue gave a small laugh as she brushed a stray strand of hair away from her eyes. She never thought of herself as overly confident, but if the elderly couple said so, then she would take their word and accept their compliment.

It’s not like she got many of those anyway.

Nora released her hands and shuffled to the kitchen, “I’ll make us some tea.” She announced, “Go ahead and take a seat dear. It won’t be long.” She insisted.

Usue and Sartael shared another look, and the demon shrugged in defeat.

It looked like they would have to continue this conversation another time. _Without_ an audience.

None the less, the duo sat back down and waited for their drinks.

Phineas joined them, “I hope we didn’t interrupt anything.” He started as he eyed the young couple.

Usue shook her head, “No, we were just…catching up.”

“You two know each other?” Nora inquired as she mixed some herbs and leaves into the water before carrying it to the fire place.

“We’ve met. Many years ago.” Sartael explained.

“Oh?”

“It was a brief meeting.” Usue added.

“But one that left a big enough impact to warrant a reunion.” Phineas assumed.

The young duo shrugged and nodded.

Nora smiled from her place by the fire, “That’s nice. It’s always good to keep in touch with friends.”

“I apologize for bringing her here unannounced, but our last meeting place wasn’t as private as we thought.” Sartael stated as he turned to the older man.

Phineas waved him off, “It’s fine Itzal. Our home is always open to guests.”

“It’s unfortunate that you had to move locations though.” Nora added as she moved the kettle off the flames, “I assume someone was eavesdropping on you two?”

“We don’t know. It was more of a… _feeling_ we had.” Usue looked at Sartael, who nodded in confirmation.

“Mmm.” Nora hummed as she set out four cups for the group and began to pour the tea. Phineas walked to the kitchen and came back with a small jar of honey.

“That, and Usue was scared off by a raven.” Sartael teased.

Usue glared.

The elderly couple paused.

“Raven?” Phineas asked.

Usue sighed and nodded, “There’s this raven that I think is following me. I’ve been seeing it for the past several years.”

The elders looked at each other.

“How interesting.” Phineas noted.

“You know,” Nora started as she poured some honey into her tea, “they say that ravens are a symbol of many great things. The ancient Greeks associated them with Apollo and prophecy, while the Norse folk linked them to Oden and saw them as a sign of intelligence. Perhaps there’s good meaning to it’s presence.”

Usue added a couple of spoons of honey before mixing her drink absent mindedly, “I guess.” She took a sip, “I just hope it isn’t bringing any ill omens.”

Nora and Phineas chuckled, “I’m sure it means no harm.” The man soothed.

Usue raised and lowed her brows in a ‘if you say so’ manner and brought her drink to her lips.

“ _Usue_!”

Usue nearly choked on her drink at the call.

Was that…?

“ _Usue!_ ”

She swallowed and turned to the window.

Was that _Benito_?!

‘What the hell is he doing out here?!’ she thought in panic.

Phineas stood and looked out the front window, “There’s a young man out there.” He noted before turning to Usue, “Something tells me he’s looking for _you_.” He smirked when Benito called out again.

Usue scowled as she stood up and joined Phineas by the window.

Sure enough, Benito, as well as his friends, Rafael and Alvaro, were wondering the area, calling out for her.

‘ _Shit!_ ’

“I should get going.” She announced, turning to Nora, who had stood up from her seat, “Thank you for the tea…and allowing me to be here.”

Nora smiled, “You’re very welcome dear, and again, our home is open to you _anytime_.”

Usue smiled. She would have to take them up on their offer next time she got fed up with Blanca or Mateo…or anyone in general.

She turned to Sartael, who had followed everyone’s lead and was standing as well, “I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

The demon nodded, “Tomorrow sounds fine. I could always use your help again.”

Usue turned and followed Phineas to the door with the other two occupants following behind. She thanked the couple once more before stepping out into Benito’s view.

“Usue!” he called out, jogging over to her. Alvaro and Rafael followed in close pursuit. He met with the woman in question just as she reached the end of the elder couple’s pathway. He looked back at the trio standing at the doorway, and bristled when he caught sight of the younger man peering out over the old lady.

Benito sent a non-discreet glare at the stranger before putting a hand on Usue’s back and guiding her further away from the home.

Usue was quick to shrug him off, and just to really stick it to him, she turned and gave a quick wave in the trio’s direction, before turning and walking back to the village, leaving the boys to follow in her wake.

Benito kept pace beside her, glancing back at the house every so often.

“What were you _doing_ in there? With _them_.” He hissed.

“We were just talking and having tea.” Usue responded curtly.

“With those oddballs? And what was that _man_ doing there?”

Usue didn’t miss the envy in Benito’s tone, and she rolled her eyes, “He was doing the same.  We met when we were younger, and now that he’s back in town, we decided to catch up and have tea.”

“But why _there_?” Benito pressed.

“Because the couple that owned the cottage allowed us to meet there, and that’s where Itzal is staying for his trip.” Usue was becoming more and more exasperated and wanted nothing more than to get away from Benito’s persistent interrogation.

“…Did the two of you _do_ anything?” stopped and looked back at the house that now stood at the distance.

Usue stopped and stared back at him. They were just at the entrance of the village. She had to get him to shut up with the questioning least someone hear what they were talking about and get the wrong idea…

She stormed up to Benito and stood directly in front of him, her blue eyes blazing with irritation, “ _Listen to me_.” She hissed through clenched teeth, “ _Nothing. Happened._ ”

“Can you blame any of us for thinking otherwise?” Rafael snapped back, “It doesn’t look good for a woman to be spending time with a man she’s not married to.”

“Why don’t you and Lucia practice what you preach?” Usue jabbed back, “You two are the some of the biggest hypocrites in this damn village!”

With that, she pushed past the young men and stormed towards the village, completely done with them.

Why couldn’t anyone here just mind their own business?!

“This isn’t over Usue!” Benito called as he and his friends jogged to catch up to her, “You still have to explain yourself to Mateo and Blanca. I’m going to have to tell them what I saw today.”

“Then tell them!” Usue bit out, “I have no problem in explaining myself. _Again._ ”

“I will!” Benito challenged.

“Fine!” Usue answered back.

She wasn’t afraid of them.

In a few weeks’ time, she would be long gone.

** At the monastery  **

Blanca paced as she wrung her hands. It had been hours since she last saw Usue, and it seemed that no one had seen her during that time. Lucia and several of the other young women had reported that they had seen her leave the village and was acting very cryptic about where she was going.

The older woman clutched her apron as she continued to fret.

She knew how Usue was, and how easy it was for her to get into trouble. If anything happened to that young woman, Blanca would never forgive herself.

She had nearly lost Usue once, she _couldn’t_ lose her again. 

The sound of approaching footsteps and muffled voiced from outside the door caught her and Mateo’s attention, and she dashed to the entrance, holding her dress up as she ran as fast as she could. She pulled open the door to revel a stunned Usue with her hand raised as if she were about to open the door herself.

“Usue!” she gasped and pulled the confused woman into a hug.

“Blanca…” Usue greeted as she was practically dragged into the dwelling area of the monastery.

Blanca pulled away and reached up to cup Usue’s cheeks in a tight grip, “ _Where were you_?!” she demanded, her face pulled into one of extreme distress.

Still baffled at her guardian’s reaction, Usue squirmed out of the older woman’s painful grip and straightened, “I told you I was going out, and you said that was fine.” She explained.

Not that she needed to, as she was a grown adult and not a child that needed permission to do things.

“I thought you were going to be around the village!” Blanca exclaimed, “I didn’t know you were going to run off into the woods _again_!”

“And what’s more,” Mateo added as he shuffled up to the two women, “is that no one knows _where_ you go out there.”

Usue opened her mouth to argue when Blanca took hold of her face once more, “You _can’t_ keep running off like that!” she scolded.

Usue broke free once more, “I’m _fine!_ ” she insisted, her annoyance rising and making her sound like she was still eight years old.

“We found her at that old couple’s cottage.” Benito announced.

Usue _glared_ at him.

“What old couple?” Blanca asked, her brow furrowed, not liking the sound of her charge being in some stranger’s home.

“Those weird ones that moved in about five years back.” Alvaro answered.

“The _heathens_?!” Mateo accused, snapping his gaze at Usue, “You were in _their_ home?!”

“There was another man there too.” Rafael added, not even bothering to hide his smirk, “It was that stranger that everyone keeps talking about.”

“ _What_?!” Blanca fixed Usue with a steely gaze that said she _better_ get to explaining.

“What were you doing in another man’s home?!” Mateo demanded.

Usue sighed, “We were just _talking_. We met when we were young-”

“I don’t remember him.” Benito interrupted.

“He came with his father while dropping off some goods. He broke away while his father was working, and we met in the woods and spent the day talking. He left within a couple of hours so no one else had a chance to meet him.” Usue lied. She was surprised how smooth the fib came out, giving she had barley thought of the story just a few moments prior.

“That’s no excuse to go into his home!” Blanca argued.

“I wasn’t alone. Phineas and Nora were there too.”

“Who?”

“The owners of the home. We went there after I finished helping Itzal with his work on Lorenzo’s farm.”

“So you _were_ alone with him.” Rafael accused.

 “Usue!” Blanca’s face had paled as scenarios rushed through her mind of what her charge could have _really_ been doing while alone with a man that she knew nothing about.

“We were _working_! I found him and offered my assistance. Isn’t that what I’m supposed to do? Help those in need?” she folded her arms as she stared down her guardians.

“Not when it involves you spending time alone with a man.” Blanca retorted.

Mateo shook his head, “I don’t think you should see this young man anymore.”

Usue’s eyes widened, “What!? No! He’s a friend, I _swear_ we’re not doing anything inappropriate!”

“It’s too much temptation…” Blanca agreed.

This was _not_ good…

“No it’s not!” Usue argued, “He’s only going to be here for a few weeks! This may be my only chance to spend time with him before he leaves again!” She sent a pleading look at her guardians.

Blanca eyed her foster daughter.

She _wanted_ to tell her that their decision was final, but if she knew Usue like she did, the girl would only go against orders and go see this man anyway. And what if Usue really _was_ telling the truth and there was nothing going on between them?

What if it was just an innocent friendship?

Blanca looked at Mateo.

“I don’t want-”

“You can continue seeing you ‘friend’,” she started, ignoring Mateo’s baffled look, “So long as you two are within sight of the other villagers. No more alone time with him.” She held up her signature finger in warning.

Usue perked while Mateo’s jaw dropped. Benito and his friends looked incredulous at the woman.

“As long as she stays within the village, she’ll be fine.” Blanca explained to Mateo.

“Can I still help him with his chores?” Usue tested. It was probably a long shot, but it was worth a try.

“Yes.”

Everyone balked at the woman’s answer, and even she herself seemed surprised by it.

“But we’ll be sending someone to check on you two every so often, so make sure to behave yourselves.” Blanca adjusted her apron, her mind reeling in confusion.

Why had she said that?

Usue however, was beaming by now, “Thank you!” she leaned forward and hugged her foster mother, “We’ll behave I promise!”

Blanca returned to the gesture, a dazed look on her face.

“Are you alright Blanca?” Mateo asked in concern.

The older woman nodded, “Just…I’m just a little drowsy all of a sudden. I think I may need to lay down for a bit. Usue…I think you’ll have to take care of dinner tonight.” She brought a hand to her head.

Mateo went to his assistant and steadied her, “Boys, I think you can go now. Thank you for escorting Usue back to us.”

Benito, Alvaro and Rafael sent one final look at Usue before turning and leaving the dwelling.

Once they were gone, Mateo turned back to Usue and pursed his lips, “We _will_ be keeping an eye on you.” He warned, “ _Do not_ get attached to this young man.” He didn’t know what was going on or why Blanca had told Usue what she did, but he couldn’t question it right now.

Right now, he had to focus on getting her to bed.

Usue nodded as her guardians left the room.

Once out of sight, she turned and made her way to the kitchen to start prepping for dinner.

Blanca’s change of attitude was beyond odd, but with all this talk about Usue possibly being a witch, she could assume that she had somehow, subconsciously changed Blanca’s mind about seeing Sartael…not that she was complaining.

In fact, if that’s what happened, she would prefer to learn how to do that trick more often. It may even come in handy in the future.

Of course, that still led to her meetings with Sartael…

They would have to be careful of what they said and the topics they talked about if they were going to be watched at any given time.

‘Night meeting in the forest couldn’t hurt.’ She thought with a smile as she entered the kitchen and moved about, gathering the ingredients to make a simple soup.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn’t notice the raven that fluttered away from the monastery as she got to work.


End file.
